Asclepias tomentosa
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Velvetleaf Milkweed
Apocynaceae
Also known as Asclepias megalotis, Asclepias aceratoides
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: | Showy flowers |
Landscaping
Recommended Uses: | Wildflower garden, dry wildflower meadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Propagation: | Seed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Availability: | Friends, Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Seed, Specialty providers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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(Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: | 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: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soil pH: | Moderately acidic to neutral |
Ecology
Wildlife: |
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Insects: |
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Native Habitats: | Scrub, sandhill, edges of xeric hammocks, scrubby flatwoods |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 8A 8B 9A 9B

USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
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. |