Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Pink Flowers of Common Milkweed — Author Image
Alternative Names
No other names are known for the plant.
Description of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Common milkweed (Ascelpias syriaca), a member of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows to 5 feet tall and blooms in the summer with green, pink, purple, or white flowers. It is one of the main host plants of the Monarch butterfly. The caterpillars of the Monarch Butterfly feed on the leaves of the milkweed, which gives them a toxic making them distasteful to predators. More information on common milkweed on this blog post.
Hosted Species
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Monarch on goldenrod — ALAN SCHMIERER from southeast AZ, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Milkweed Tussock Moth
Milkweed Tussock Moth on Fabric — Patrick Coin (Patrick Coin), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Nectar Species
Many other butterflies and bees use this plant as a nectar source.
Habitat
This milkweed grows in open areas such as meadows, fields, roadsides, and waste places.
Range of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in the United States and Canada
Interesting Facts
The genus name, Asclepias, is the Greek name for the God of Medicine. The species name, syriaca, means Syrian, since Carl von Linnaeus, who names and described the species thought it came from the country of Syria.
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