FNPS Plant Database
Asclepias perennis
aquatic milkweed, swamp milkweed
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
aquatic milkweed, swamp milkweed
Synonym(s):
Genus species:
Asclepias perennis
Family:
Apocynaceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
Size:
Life Span:
Flower Color:
Fruit Color:
Phenology:
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Small specimen plant in wet areas. Does well in bog gardens and rain gardens or bioswales. Can also be grown in containers.
Considerations:
Toxic
Availability:
Propagation:
Seed
Light:
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:
Loam, Organic (muck), Sand
Soil pH:
Suitable to Grow In:
8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
Larval host to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus), and soldier butterfly, (Danaus eresimus). Attracts various pollinators including butterflies and bees.
Native Habitats:
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
General Comments:
Although this plant may be available in big box stores, their plants may have been treated with systemic insecticide which would be harmful or fatal to caterpillars.
Citations:
Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. 1999. Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.
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.
