FNPS Plant Database

Asclepias tomentosa

velvetleaf milkweed
  • Photo by: Jeannie Brodhead, Saracennia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

velvetleaf milkweed

Synonym(s):

Asclepias megalotis, Asclepias aceratoides

Genus species:

Asclepias tomentosa

Family:

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-3 ft.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

greenish with highlights of pink or maroon

Fruit Color:

green, seeds with tufts of white hair

Phenology:

Winter dormant, blooms April-August

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden, dry wildflower meadow

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Unknown

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

moderately acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies, Caterpillars

Larval host for monach ( Danaus plexippus ) , queen ( Danaus gilippus ) and soldier ( Danaus eresimus ) butterflies. 


Nectar plant for many butterfly species.

Native Habitats:

scrub, sandhill, edges of xeric hammocks, scrubby flatwoods

Natural Range in Florida:

Loading Florida counties…

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Predominantly a Florida plant, but it has also been recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.



The species name "tomentosa" refers to the dense, matted (tomentose) hairs on the leaves.



Aphids are often a "problem" with milkweed plants -- they are a natural preditor on Asclepias, but we don't like them.

Citations:

BONAP Plant Atlas. (2014). ( https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/asclepias%20tomentosa ). Accessed 2025. Biota of North America Program, Chapel Hill, NC.


Hammer, Roger. (2018). Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Minno, Marc and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Taylor, Walter K. (2013). Florida Wildflowers: A Comprehensive Guide. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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