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A Comprehensive Guide to Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata)

Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) is a herbaceous perennial that is found in the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Florida. This plant is a host to three butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). It can grow from 0.5 to 1 foot tall and has flowers that are yellow to green in color that bloom from May to July. It is hardy in zones 7-10.

Taxonomy and Naming of Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata)

Herbarium specimen of savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata).
Herbarium Specimen — Asclepias pedicellata Walter collected in United States of America by The New York Botanical Garden (licensed under CC BY 4.0)
Isoneotype specimen of savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata).
Isoneotype Specimen — Asclepias pedicellata Walter collected in United States of America (licensed under CC0 1.0)

Taxonomy

Savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) was named and described by Thomas Walter, in Flora Caroliniana, in 1788. The species has kept this name since and is a member of the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae).

Meaning of the Scientific and Common Names

Scientific Name

The genus name, Asclepias, is named for the Greek god of healing, Asklepios (Flora of Wisconsin). The species name, pedicellata, is Latin for the pedicellate flowers.

Common Name and Alternative Names

The common name describes the pine savannah habitat of the plant. Another common name, savanna milkweed (without the “h”), also describes the habitat. In one reference this species is called the stalked milkweed (Vascular Plants of North Carolina).

Physical Description

Close-up of greenish-yellow flowers of savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicillata).
Close-up of Greenish-yellow Flowers — Asclepias pedicellata Walter observed in United States of America by Justin (licensed under CC0 1.0)
  • Plant Type: This plant is a herbaceous perennial.
  • Height: 0.5 to 1.5 foot. This is one of the smallest milkweed species.
  • Stem: slightly pubescent
  • Leaves: The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, sessile, and linear to ovate-lanceolate in shape. The leaves range in size from 1 to 2 inches in length and 0.1 to 0.4 inches in width (Woodson 1954).
  • Flower color: yellow, green, white to cream
  • Blooming period: This plant blooms from May to July.
  • Fruiting type and period: This plant has follicles that mature in July and August.

Range of Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) in the United States and Canada

Range map of Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) in the United States and Canada.
Range Map Credit: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2023.(website https://bonap.org/). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2023. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

This milkweed species is found in the southeastern United States. It is considered rare in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, which is most of its range.

Habitat

Longleaf pine barren habitat in Florida.
Pine Barren Habitat — National Archives and Records Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This species grows in pine flatwoods of long-leaf pine and savannas that have a fire-ecology (What’s growing in the Garden State). It is also found on sandy areas (Fox 1952).

Hosted Insects

Soldier butterfly on a twig.
Soldier Butterfly (Danaus eresimus) — Korall, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This species is a host for the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus), and the Soldier Butterfly (Danaus eresimus).

Other Supported Wildlife

Blazing star with bumblebee at McMullen House.
Bumblebee on Purple Flower — Robert Coxe, Image

This species is a nectar source to other butterflies, skippers, bees, and wasps during the growing season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this plant poisonous?

Like other milkweeds, it has cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) and is considered to be poisonous with ingestion.

Does this plant have any ethnobotanical uses?

The Native American Ethobotanical Database does not list this species in particular, but milkweeds in general have been used for a number of medicinal uses and foods.

How is this plant distinguished from other milkweeds?

This milkweed is similar to swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and few-flower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata), but both of the other milkweeds are larger and taller. The flower colors are different as well.

Is this plant invasive?

This species can grow in places that have been disturbed, but there is nothing in the literature indicating that it is invasive.

Gardening with Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata)

Greenish-yellow flowers of savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata).
Greenish-yellow Flowers — Asclepias pedicellata Walter observed in United States of America by Justin (licensed under CC0 1.0)

Hardiness

This species is hardy in zones 7-10. If your garden is within these zones and you have the right growing conditions (soil, moisture and exposure), you may well be able to grow this plant. However, if planted outside of its range, the hosted species may not recognize the plant or be harmed by ingesting a different species with an unfamiliar chemical composition.

Optimal Conditions

This species grows best in places it can receive full sun, are sandy and have moist to mesic (medium moisture) soils.

Note about this species

This species is not in garden cultivation due to its rarity.

References

  • Fox, William B. and R.K. Godfrey. 1952. Notes on distribution of North Carolina plants III. Rhodora 54: 165-182.
  • Weakley, A.S., and the Southeastern Flora Team. 2022. Flora of the southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden.
  • Woodson, Robert E. 1954. The North American Species of Asclepias L. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 41: 1-211.
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Robert Coxe

Robert Coxe

Robert Coxe is a professional ecologist and botanist who has worked as the State Ecologist of Delaware and as an ecologist for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. He is also a former Past-President of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. He currently is an innkeeper at McMullen House Bed & Breakfast LLC and a web designer and owner for Silphium Design LLC.

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