Asclepias engelmanniana
A native Asclepias species with slender leaves up to 4 feet tall, found mainly south and west of Iowa in sandy and stony soils, flowering in June with light-green corollas and yellow coronas, and endangered in Iowa
Common Names
Engelmann's Milkweed
Summary
Engelmann’s milkweed is a perennial herb with erect, typically unbranched stems about 60–120 cm tall and milky sap. Leaves are irregularly alternate to near-opposite, sessile and linear (5–25 cm long, 1–8 mm wide). Inflorescences are lateral umbels 2–4 cm broad with greenish to pale purple flowers; hoods sessile, curved-ascending, with digitate, erect horns; fruits are follicles 7–12 cm long. It grows from the Great Plains to Arizona and Texas, south into Coahuila, in creeks, canyons, open woodlands and sandy slopes, blooming June–August, and is a monarch butterfly host plant.
It occurs in open habitats on calcareous substrates at 1,050–2,200 m and is attractive to pollinators including native bees and butterflies, while also serving as a larval host for monarchs (Danaus plexippus). Ethnobotany notes include use for nasal congestion from a cold.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2-5 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil (sandy slopes)
Soil pH
Alkaline (calcareous) soils
Bloom Color
Yellow-green
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Glaucous
Growth Rate
Perennial
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Rhizome (vegetative propagation)
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Woodson
- Publication
- Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 28: 207 (1941)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Gentianales
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
Synonyms
Acerates auriculata Asclepias auriculata Gomphocarpus auriculatus