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Asclepias tuberosa
Also called Butterfly weed, Pleurisy Root, Chieger Flower, Butterflyweed, Orange Milkweed, Canada Root, Indian Posy
A hardy North American perennial milkweed grown for its bright orange flowers, which attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. It thrives in full sun and well-drained, dry soil, and resents soggy ground.
Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly weed or pleurisy root, is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.
Butterfly weed is frequently grown in gardens for its showy orange flowers which are especially attractive to bees, though also visited by hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies. It is easily grown from seeds and is difficult to transplant due to the size of its roots. Grown from seed plants will take about two to three years to reach flowering size in average conditions. The seeds do not require stratification and can be immediately planted, though in commercial growing they are generally moist stratified at 5 °C for 30–60 days because this increases the germination rate. For other milkweeds a thin layer of mulch a layer 1–2 cm thick increases the germination rate, though specific research on butterfly weed is lacking.
Butterfly weed has few serious pest or disease problems. It is susceptible to crown rot if planted in poorly drained or too constantly moist locations. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9.
The plant contains toxic progesterone-like steroids that can cause weakness, seizures and corneal injuries. Use of the plant as an herbal remedy is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or for infants and children.
The species can be found from South Dakota south to Texas and Mexico, west to Utah and Arizona, as well as many other areas further east.
Native Americans and European pioneers used the boiled roots to treat diarrhea and respiratory illnesses. The young seed pods were used as food after being boiled in several changes of water. The seed pod down was spun and used to make candle wicks.
Cartwheels · Whitestem milkweed · Spider milkweed · California milkweed · Heartleaf milkweed · Bloodflower · Curtiss' milkweed · Woollypod milkweed · Desert milkweed · Poke milkweed · Mexican whorled milkweed · Florida milkweed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asclepias tuberosa 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.
