Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa L.
Milkweed family
Plant Type
Forb/herb
Life Cycle
Perennial
Mature Height
24 inches
Spread
29 inches
Flower Color
Orange
Bloom Time
Mid Summer
Growing Conditions
Light
Shade Tolerance
Intolerant
Water
Water Use
Low
Drought Tolerance
High
Flood Tolerance
None
Soil
Soil Types
Loam, Sand
CaCO3 Tolerance
Medium
Fertility Need
Low
Stress Tolerance
Fire Tolerance
High
Salt Tolerance
None
Climate
pH Range
4.8 – 6.8
Frost-Free Days
135 days
Precipitation
28 – 45 in
Ecosystem & Wildlife
Pollinators
Native Bees; Bombus; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Moths; Butterflies; Monarchs; Nesting and Structure (Bees); Larval Host (Monarch); Larval Host (Butterfly); Larval Host (Moth); Hummingbirds
Larval Host
Danaus gilippus, Danaus gilippus berenice, Danaus plexippus, Danaus plexippus plexippus, Pygarctia eglenensis
Fall Color
No
Evergreen
No
Native Range
- USA: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
- MEX: Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest
- CAN: Ontario, Québec
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.
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