FNPS Plant Database

Asclepias lanceolata

red milkweed, few-flower milkweed

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

red milkweed, few-flower milkweed

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asclepias lanceolata

Family:

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-4 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

short-lived perennial

Flower Color:

orange, red

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wet wildflower garden

Considerations:

Toxic

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

Stays Wet ---to--- Somewhat moist, no flooding

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:

Lime Rock, Sand

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

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

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



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies, Caterpillars, Pollinators, Bees

Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflies. Nectar plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and other butterflies. [IRC website, 2012]. Attracts many pollinators, especially native bees.

Native Habitats:

Wet flatwoods, savannas, marshes, swamps

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Don't confuse this native with the non-native tropical or scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), that is often sold in big box stores, which has red and yellow flowers and is a FISC Category II invasive.

Citations:

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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