Wisconsin Horticulture

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant is mostly pest free. Aphids may cluster at the top of the plant. To remedy this problem, knock them off with a strong spray of water every two or three days for a week. Crown rot can occur in wet, poorly drained soils. It is also susceptible to rust and leaf spot.

Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly weed is a tuberous-rooted, native, herbaceous perennial in the Apocynaceae, or dogbane, family. Its Latin genus name, Asclepias, honors the Greek god of medicine, Asklepios. The species name, tuberosa, refers to the root. The plant is upright, typically growing in clumps 1 to 3 feet tall, and is found in dry, rocky open woods, glades, prairies, fields, and roadsides. Unlike many of the other milkweeds, this species does not have milky-sapped stems.

The plant is easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun. It is drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant, and does well in poor, dry soils. The plant grows easily from seed, but expect that it will take two to three years to establish and produce flowers. Mature plants may freely self-seed in the landscape if seed pods are not removed prior to splitting open. Butterfly weed does not transplant well due to its deep taproot and is probably best left undisturbed once established.

Milkweed is a great choice for a meadow garden, with showy yellow-orange flower clusters topping its upright stems. Pair it with other plants like native, ornamental grasses and wildflowers, such as asters and purple coneflowers, to a create a butterfly habitat. In a perennial border, pair it with torch lilies or with cooler blues and purples, such as speedwell plants. This plant was selected as the 1985 NC Wildflower of the Year.

Be sure to wear gloves as the milky sap can cause contact dermatitis.

Quick ID Hints:

• Erect, perennial herb has spiraling narrow leaves
• Axillary cymes of orange flowers are flat topped
• Flowers have a corona of a hood and horn

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant is mostly pest free. Aphids may cluster at the top of the plant. To remedy this problem, knock them off with a strong spray of water every two or three days for a week. Crown rot can occur in wet, poorly drained soils. It is also susceptible to rust and leaf spot.

• Attributes: Genus: Asclepias Species: tuberosa Family: Apocynaceae Uses (Ethnobotany): Has been used medicinally in herbal medicine in small doses Life Cycle: Perennial Recommended Propagation Strategy: Root Cutting Seed Country Or Region Of Origin: Eastern and southern United States Fire Risk Rating: medium flammability Wildlife Value: The flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and insect pollinators. The plant is a larval host plant for monarch (which appear in the spring and summer and may have one to three broods in the north and four to six broods in the south), gray hairstreak, queen, and milkweed tussock moth caterpillars. This butterfly breeds all year long in Florida, south Texas, and southeastern California. Adult Monarch butterflies feed on nectar from all species of milkweeds. Play Value: Attracts Pollinators Wildlife Larval Host Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems): This plant is resistant to damage by deer. Dimensions: Height: 1 ft. 0 in. – 2 ft. 0 in. Width: 1 ft. 0 in. – 1 ft. 6 in.

• Whole Plant Traits: Plant Type: Herb Herbaceous Perennial Native Plant Perennial Poisonous Wildflower Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Deciduous Habit/Form: Erect Growth Rate: Slow Maintenance: Low

• Cultural Conditions: Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours) Soil Texture: Clay Loam (Silt) Sand Shallow Rocky Soil Drainage: Good Drainage Moist Occasionally Dry Available Space To Plant: 12 inches-3 feet NC Region: Coastal Mountains Piedmont USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

• Fruit: Fruit Color: Gray/Silver Green Fruit Value To Gardener: Good Dried Showy Display/Harvest Time: Fall Fruit Type: Capsule Follicle Fruit Length: > 3 inches Fruit Width: 1-3 inches Fruit Description: Dehiscent 4″-5″ spindle-shaped follicle seed pods (3-6″ long) release silky-tailed seeds which are dispersed by wind. Follicles, fusiformed, smooth, paired; seeds with silky, apical tuft of trichomes. Displays from August to September

• Flowers: Flower Color: Gold/Yellow Orange Red/Burgundy Flower Inflorescence: Cyme Flower Value To Gardener: Good Cut Good Dried Long-lasting Showy Flower Bloom Time: Spring Summer Flower Shape: Crown Tubular Flower Petals: 4-5 petals/rays Flower Size: < 1 inch Flower Description: Clusters of bright orange to yellow-orange flowers atop upright to reclining hairy stems. The flowers have five sepals, five petals, and five stamens. Deadheading flowers ensures more blooms throughout the season. Axillary, in flat-topped cymose, several-flowered. orange, with some yellowish to vermillion tinges; sepals 5; corolla small, rotate, 5-lobed to 8 mm long; corona conspicuous of 5 "hood lobes" consisting of a hood and incurved horn (hood appendage); stamens 5, fused into a column. Blooms from May to August.

• Leaves: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Deciduous Leaf Color: Green Leaf Type: Simple Leaf Arrangement: Alternate Whorled Leaf Shape: Lanceolate Oblong Leaf Margin: Entire Hairs Present: No Leaf Length: 3-6 inches Leaf Width: < 1 inch Leaf Description: Lance-shaped to narrowly egg-shaped leaves scattered singly along the stem; to 4 in. long, reclining, ascending to somewhat erect, hairy stems that branch toward the summit. Alternate and loosely spiraling, simple, narrow lanceolate to oblong, acute to obtuse, sessile to minutely-petiolate, hispidulous pubescent, 2"-6" long x 1/4"-1" wide.

• Stem: Stem Color: Green Stem Is Aromatic: No Stem Surface: Hairy (pubescent)

• Landscape: Landscape Location: Container Meadow Naturalized Area Patio Rock Wall Small Space Walkways Landscape Theme: Butterfly Garden Drought Tolerant Garden Native Garden Pollinator Garden Rock Garden Design Feature: Border Mass Planting Small groups Attracts: Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds Moths Pollinators Specialized Bees Resistance To Challenges: Deer Drought Erosion Rabbits Salt Problems: Problem for Cats Problem for Dogs Problem for Horses

• Poisonous to Humans: Poison Severity: Low Poison Symptoms: Can cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, and confusion if eaten in quantity. Milky sap can cause contact dermatitis Poison Toxic Principle: Cardiac glycosides and resinoids Causes Contact Dermatitis: Yes Poison Part: Flowers Fruits Leaves Roots Stems

Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa

Butterflyweed is a long-lived herbaceous perennial in the milkweed family (Apocynaceae, formerly Asclepidaceae) native to much of North America except the northwest, from eastern Canada south to Florida, west to the Dakotas down to Colorado and the southwest, except Nevada, into California, but is most widespread in the eastern half of the U.S. With other common names including butterfly milkweed, orange milkweed, pleurisy root and chigger flower, Asclepias tuberosa is found in prairies and meadows, open woods, along roads and other open areas in zones 3-9.

This bushy perennial grows an abundance of dark green foliage on multiple erect to ascending stems from a large taproot, forming a clump 1½ to 3 feet tall and wide. Its tough, woody, knobby root that can grow several feet deep was used medicinally by Native Americans. The lanceolate to oblong leaves are primarily alternate, often crowded together on the stout, hairy stems which are green to dull reddish-purple. Each leaf, up to 6 inches long, is sessile or with a very short petiole, pointed at the end and toothless on the margins. The upper surface is smooth and glossy, while the underside is finely hairy, especially along the veins, and lighter in color than the upper side. Unlike most members of the milkweed family, this species does not have milky sap. The leaves turn a dull yellow in fall before the stems die back to the ground for the winter. It is best not to cut the foliage back in fall but wait until spring. Plants are slow to emerge late in the spring.
Large, flat to slightly dome-shaped umbels (clusters) of up to 25 bright orange star-shaped flowers are produced at the ends of hairy flowering stems or in upper leaf axils from late spring through summer. Each 3/8 inch wide fleshy flower has 5 reflexed petals (corolla) and a 5-parted crown (corona) of 5 curved horns protruding from hoods arching over a short white to light green column in the center.


These are generally all orange but there are yellow or red cultivars (such as ‘Hello Yellow’ and ‘Gay Butterflies’) and naturally occurring populations, all usually with a yellow central column. Each cluster is 2-5 inches across, making an excellent landing platform for butterflies. There are also 5 hairy, light green sepals below the petals which are hidden when the flowers open. The flowers produce copious amounts of nectar so are very attractive to hummingbirds and many insects, not just butterflies, and can also be used as cut flowers. Deadheading may stimulate a second flush of flowers about a month later.

Successfully cross-pollinated flowers are followed by prominent, erect, narrow, spindle-shaped seed pods covered in short hairs (the fruit is a follicle). The 3-6 inch long, grayish-green pods split open when mature to release rows of hundreds of flattened, brown seeds, each with a narrow wing along the margins and a tuft of long, silky hairs (a pappus) at one end that aids in dispersal by wind. Butterflyweed may self-seed in the landscape if plants are allowed to go to seed; remove the pods before they split open to reduce self-seeding. The seed pods can be used in dried floral arrangements.

This showy plant makes a great addition to home gardens, prairies, native plantings or for naturalizing, rain gardens, and butterfly gardens. They can be planted in masses or combined as an accent with other mid-sized perennials in the sunny border. The vivid orange color stands out, particularly in combination with blue or purple flowers but some find the intense color hard to blend in some landscapes. Try combining butterfly weed with blue morning glories, globe thistle (Echinops spp.), Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’, or purple speedwells (Veronica spicata or hybrids) in a mixed garden.

It or works well with other native perennials such as yellow coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), goldenrod (Solidago spp.), blazing star (Liatris spp.), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and R.fulgida, and grasses such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) in a meadow or prairie. It is a larval host plant for several butterflies, including monarch (Danaus plexippus) and the related Queen butterfly (D. gilippus, although this species occurs primarily in Central America into the southern US but may occasionally stray into the Midwest), so you may want to position the plant in the landscape where won’t be an eyesore if it is eaten ragged by caterpillars.

This plant needs full sun to bloom. Although it prefers sandy soil, butterflyweed grows in almost any type of soil, including gravel or clay, as long as it is well-drained. It is very drought tolerant once established. This plant is not favored by deer but is quite likely to be infested with aphids – most often the bright yellow oleander aphid with black legs (an introduced species native to the Mediterranean but almost cosmopolitan in distribution now). Small numbers of these insects will not harm the plant and many times are eaten by lady beetles or other predators. Large populations can be managed with insecticidal soap or reduced by knocking the insects off the plant with a forceful stream of water. Rabbits may eat the plants.

This species is easy to grow from seed, but can also be propagated from root cuttings. Cut the taproot into 2-inch sections in fall and plant in a vertical orientation. Plants will bloom from seed in 2-3 years, and do not transplant well because of the deep taproot. Sow outdoors in place after frost in the fall, in a cold frame in early spring, or start indoors with bottom heat in late winter (8-10 weeks before average last frost) after 1 month moist stratification to carefully transplant outside later. Using 3-4 inch deep containers, particularly with separate cells, will allow the roots to grow deeper and seedlings can be more readily transplanted without disturbing the roots as much.
– Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin – Madison

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