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Asclepias curtissii
Also called Curtiss's Milkweed
Curtiss' milkweed is a rare, Florida-endemic perennial milkweed from sandy areas, listed as endangered by the state. Grow it in full sun in well-drained sandy soil, as it is a wild species rarely cultivated.
Asclepias curtissii, or Curtiss's milkweed, is a rare species of flowering milkweed that is endemic to Florida's sandy areas. Curtiss's milkweed belongs to the subfamily Asclepiadoideae and the genus Asclepias. This dicotyledonous, perennial plant was placed on the endangered species list by the state of Florida to protect this rare milkweed. Although Curtiss milkweed is found all over Florida, the populations are very isolated and concentrated.
The sap of Asclepias curtissii contains cardenolides which are toxic to vertebrates in high quantities. Despite this deer are the main consumers of Curtiss's milkweed, followed up by grasshoppers removing some flowers. Many insect larvae use Curtiss's milkweed as a shelter for the early part of their lives, as well as providing food for these larvae. Although Asclepias curtissii isn't usually associated with monarch butterflies as a food source, monarchs can feed off of it and will if the need arises.
Cartwheels · Whitestem milkweed · Spider milkweed · California milkweed · Heartleaf milkweed · Bloodflower · Woollypod milkweed · Desert milkweed · Poke milkweed · Mexican whorled milkweed · Florida milkweed · Swamp milkweed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asclepias curtissii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
