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Asclepias prostrata
Prostrate milkweed is a low-growing, sprawling perennial native to dry, sandy ground in South Texas and Tamaulipas, Mexico, and it is one of the rarest milkweeds. It is grown mainly by specialist collectors and for pollinator and habitat conservation, and it needs warm, dry, sunny conditions with very good drainage.
Asclepias prostrata, commonly known as prostrate milkweed, is a species of perennial plant in the genus Asclepias. It has triangular to elliptical foliage with wavy margins, stems up to 16 inches (410 mm) long, and grows low to the ground (hence the name, which refers to a prostrate growth habit) in sandy soils. Flowering may be dependent on rainfall to bring the plant out of dormancy, but is most typical from April to October. Like other milkweeds, A. prostrata flowers are a food source for pollinator insects such as bees, wasps, and the Monarch butterfly.
Native to Starr, Hidalgo, and Zapata counties of South Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, it is one of the rarest species of milkweed.
Cartwheels · Cartwheels · Whitestem milkweed · Asclepias alpestris · Asclepias amabilis · Asclepias ameliae · Clasping milkweed · Arizona milkweed · Asclepias apocynifolia · Sand milkweed · Spider milkweed · Asclepias atroviolacea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asclepias prostrata 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.
