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Reddish-pink flowers of heart-leaf milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia).Asclepias cordifolia (Benth.) Jeps. observed in United States of America by sgene (licensed under http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
Seed pod of Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia)First Light, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Monarch Butterfly on goldenrodALAN SCHMIERER from southeast AZ, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

(Asclepias cordifolia)
Heart-leaf Milkweed

Host Plant: Monarch Butterfly

Nectar Plant: many other butterflies

Flower Color: red, burgundy, purple

Growth Habit: herbaceous perennial to grows to 6 feet tall

Range in North America: California, Nevada, and Oregon

Exposure: Full Sun to partial shade

Hardiness: Zones 7-10

Soil Requirements: well-drained rocky soil

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Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia)

Plant of Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) with purple flowers.
First Light at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alternative Names

Purple Milkweed

Description of Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia)

Heart-Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia), a member of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows to 6 feet tall and has red to purple flowers that bloom in the spring and summer.  The leaves are opposite, simple (sometimes ternate), sessile, have entire margins, heart-shaped to ovate in shape, and are 3 to 7 inches in length and width.  More information about this species can be found on this blog post.

Hosted Species

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Monarch Butterfly on Goldenrod – ALAN SCHMIERER from southeast AZ, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nectar Species

Many other butterflies use this plant as a nectar source.

Range of Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) in the United States and Canada

Range map of heart-leaf milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) in the United States and Canada.
Range map of heart-leaf milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) in the United States and Canada.

Habitat

Heart-leaf milkweed is found growing in coniferous woodlands and dry rocky slopes.  It is native to California, Nevada, and Oregon.

Interesting Facts

Native Americans used the fibers of this plant to make ropes and nets (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center).  The species names refers to the heart-shaped leaves.

Heart-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) Links

Webpages

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Videos

Suzie Savoie

 

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Heart-leaf Milkweed”

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