FNPS Plant Database

Asclepias verticillata

whorl-leaf milkweed, whorled milkweed.
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

whorl-leaf milkweed, whorled milkweed.

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asclepias verticillata

Family:

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-3 ft tall by to 1 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,green

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden. This is a small but pretty little plant. Grow it in a moist wildflower garden.

Considerations:

It may be necessary to re-seed to keep this in the garden. Seed is not generally commercially available. This is the most toxic of the milkweeds and is considered a weed where livestock graze.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

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:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars

Larval host for the monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ). Attracts various pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

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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