Asclepias tuberosa
| Asclepias tuberosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Asclepias |
| Species: | A. tuberosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Asclepias tuberosa L. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Asclepias tuberosa is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is a perennial plant growing to 0.3–1 metre (1 ft 0 in–3 ft 3 in) tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early autumn. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate, 5–12 cm long, and 2–3 cm broad.
This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins. It requires full sun.
It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies. Hummingbirds, bees and other insects are also attracted.[2]
Use of the plant is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or with infants due to the small amount of cardiac glycosides.[3]
Identification
The plant looks similar to the lanceolate milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata), but is uniquely identified by the larger number of flowers, and the hairy stems that are not milky when broken. It is most commonly found in fields with dry soil.
Propagation
Most easily propagated by seed. Sown outdoors after frost, a plant will flower and produce seed in the third year. Difficult to transplant once established.[4][5]
Subspecies
- Asclepias tuberosa subsp. interior – (Central United States)
- Asclepias tuberosa subsp. rolfsii – Rolfs Milkweed (Southeastern United States)
- Asclepias tuberosa subsp. tuberosa – (Eastern United States)
Common names
Common names include butterfly weed,[6] Canada root, chieger flower,[6] chiggerflower, fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, orange milkweed, orange root,[7] orange Swallow-wort, pleurisy root,[6] silky swallow-wort, tuber root, yellow milkweed, white-root, windroot, butterfly love, butterflyweed, and butterfly milkweed.[8]
Gallery
-
Entire plant from the ground to the flower
-
Young stems during spring
-
A young leaf
-
An emerging flower head
-
Closeup of the hairy stems
-
Closeup of unopened buds
-
Flower head
-
Closeup showing unopened, opening, and fully opened flower buds
-
Orange flowers
-
Red-striped orange flowers
-
Yellow flowers
-
Seedpod
-
Footnotes
- ↑ "The Plant list: A Working List of All plant Species".
- ↑ Schillo, Rebecca (2011). Cummings, Nina, ed. "Native Landscaping Takes Root in Chicago". In The Field. The Field Museum: 13.
- ↑ University of Texas, Austin
- ↑ Loewer, Peter 'Native Perennials For the Southeast' Cool Springs Press. Nashville, Tenn. 2005 ISBN 1-59186-121-7
- ↑ Druse, Ken 'Making More Plants The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation' Abrams. New York, NY. 2012 ISBN 0-517-70787-X
- 1 2 3 "USDA GRIN Taxonomy".
- ↑ anonymous (2008). "Featured Native Plant: Butterfly Weed" (PDF). Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. 6 (4).
- ↑ Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 138.
References
- Peterson, Roger Tory; Margaret McKenny (1968). A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-18325-1.
- Photo of a J.J. Audubon Plate Clay-Colored Sparrow perched atop Asclepias tuberosa
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asclepias tuberosa. |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Asclepias tuberosa |
 |
The Wikibook Horticulture has a page on the topic of: Asclepias tuberosa |
- Butterfly weed brief information and pictures
- USDA information
- Missouri Botanical Garden Asclepias tuberosa (native plant without Milky Stems)
- Missouri Botanical Garden Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' (cultivar with Milky Stems)