FNPS Plant Database

Asclepias humistrata

sandhill milkweed, pinewoods milkweed

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

sandhill milkweed, pinewoods milkweed

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asclepias humistrata

Family:

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-3 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, pink,purple

Fruit Color:

purple, green

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Small specimen plant.

Considerations:

Toxic if eaten unless boiled with two waters. Tends to sprawl.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Difficult to transplant. Best grown from seed.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

-|----|----|----|------|----|---- <------------------------> -|-

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---to--- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

5.1 to 7.5

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B

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



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Bees, Butterflies, Caterpillars

Larval host to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) and others.  Attracts many pollinators, especially native bees.

Native Habitats:

Sandhill, clayhill, scrub

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Interesting pink veined foliage, showy flowers. Often lies on its side with the flowers held somewhat above the rest of the plant. Has an extremely deep taproot. Is notoriously difficult to transplant.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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


Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Tras, Pamela. 2001. Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing, St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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