Common Names: Common Milkweed
Scientific Name: Asclepias syriaca
 
Plant Characteristics
• Duration: Perennial
• Size: Typically grows to a height of 3–6 ft., with upright, branching stems.
• Foliage: Large, broad, oval-shaped green leaves arranged oppositely along the stems.
• Bloom Color: Fragrant clusters of pale pink to rosy-purple flowers.
• Bloom Time: Early to Mid-Summer
 
Growing Conditions
• Water Use: Low to Medium
• Light Requirement: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Soil Moisture: Dry to Medium
 
Ecological Benefits
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a native perennial of the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont, commonly found in meadows, fields, roadsides, and other open habitats. Its fragrant flowers provide abundant nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators throughout the summer.
 
As an important host plant for the monarch butterfly, Common Milkweed provides essential food for monarch caterpillars and supports their life cycle. Its flowers, foliage, and seed pods also provide resources and habitat for a variety of other insects and wildlife, making it an important species for pollinator gardens, meadows, and habitat restoration projects.
 
Local Ecotype: This plant is available as a local ecotype variety. Our team hand-collects seeds from native wildflowers growing in conservation areas we manage, and these plants are grown from that locally collected seed. Local ecotypes are adapted to the conditions of their native region and can help preserve local genetic diversity, support regional wildlife, and strengthen the ecological resilience of native plant communities.