Purple Milkweed

Biological Name:

Asclepias purpurascens (Purple-Milkweed)

Natural Habitat:

Purple-Milkweed: This plant is native to North and South America and grows in a variety of habitats, including fields, meadows, and along roadsides.

Description:

Purple-Milkweed is a perennial weed that is native to the Americas. It has hairy stems and leaves and the leaves are oval-shaped with toothed edges. The flowers are small and pink or purple and they are followed by hairy seed pods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is purple milkweed hard to grow?
A: ** Purple Milkweed is easy to germinate and grow to a juvenile plant, but keeping it alive for more than one season, blooming, and setting seeds can be difficult. If the first-year plant grows to a height of a foot or more, you’ll usually have a bloom the following year.
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Q: Why do farmers not like milkweed?
A: Milkweed has a reputation for encroaching on cropland where it can compete with crops for soil and light. The plant can also create a nuisance on ranchlands, as cattle can be poisoned when poor foraging conditions lead hungry cows to milkweed-concentrated areas as a last resort.
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Q: Is purple milkweed poisonous?
A: Toxicity: The sap contains a lethal brew of cardenolides (heart poison), which produces vomiting in low doses and death in higher doses.
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Q: Why is milkweed a problem?
A: Tropical milkweed becomes a problem when planted in temperate areas where it does not die back in winter. A protozoan parasite of monarch butterflies, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha or OE for short, can travel with monarchs visiting the plants and become deposited on leaves.
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Q: Where should I plant milkweed?
A: Best growing practices suggest milkweeds be planted in the sunniest parts of your yard or garden. If you have a choice of soil, most milkweed species thrive in light, well-drained soils with seeds planted a quarter-inch deep.
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Q: Do monarchs like purple milkweed?
A: Importance as a caterpillar food source: Like all milkweeds, Purple Milkweed is a food source for the Monarch caterpillar. Plant for plant, Purple Milkweed does not produce as much foliage as other milkweeds, such as Swamp Milkweed, and therefore does not provide as great a food source for caterpillars.
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Q: What milkweed is not good for monarchs?
A: Tropical milkweed can also interfere with monarch migration and reproduction. When grown in northern areas, where it can grow later in the year than native species, the presence of tropical milkweed may confuse monarchs into breeding at a time when they should be migrating.
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Q: Where should you not plant milkweed?
A: It is not recommended to plant milkweed within 10 miles of the coast in central and northern California where milkweed did not occur historically. Instead, plant a variety of flowers native to your region that provide nectar from early spring through fall to support monarchs and other pollinators.
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Q: What animals eat purple milkweed?
A: Research has shown it to have high nutrient requirements. Purple milkweed has very distinctive flowers whose nectar attracts long-tongued bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
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Q: What should I plant near milkweed?
A: A few companion plants that come to mind include Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), coneflower (Echinacea), Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), bergamot (Monarda), goldenrod (Solidago), ironweed (Vernonia), and various asters.
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Q: What is purple milkweed good for?
A: SKUHC013950Soil MoistureAverage
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Q: How long does it take for purple milkweed to grow?
A: They may turn yellow and go suddenly dormant at any time during the summer. If you successfully transplant them the first year, they will begin to grow the following year anytime from late April to mid-June. It may take several years for Purple Milkweeds to flower when introduced into a garden.
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Q: Is purple milkweed invasive?
A: Purple milkweed is not invasive, has pollinator-attracting blooms, beautiful dark purple flowers, and is easy to transplant.
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Q: Where is the best place to plant milkweed?
A: Best growing practices suggest milkweeds be planted in the sunniest parts of your yard or garden. If you have a choice of soil, most milkweed species thrive in light, well-drained soils with seeds planted a quarter-inch deep.
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Q: Will milkweed come back year after year?
A: These native milkweed are perennials, meaning they come back year after year. Their aerial parts (flower, leaves, stem) die back but their rootstock remains alive throughout the winter. Cut back milkweed stalks in the late fall or winter, after they have produced seed pods and these seeds have had time to mature.
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Q: Does milkweed spread a lot?
A: Whorled milkweed is not an aggressive grower, but it does spread via underground rhizomes, so be prepared to give it lots of room.
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Q: Can I just scatter milkweed seeds?
A: You can sow milkweed seeds by scattering them on the soil surface 1/4-1/2 inch apart, and then cover them with about 1/4 inch of additional soil. Water the area frequently after planting until plants become established.
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Q: What time of year should you plant milkweed?
A: According to the document, milkweed seed should ideally be planted in the fall. While some seed predation will occur, exposure to cold temperatures and moist conditions during winter will stimulate germination.
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.