Asclepias cordifolia
A perennial milkweed native to northern California, with large heart-shaped, clasping bluish-green leaves, red to purple flowers in an upright umbel, and historic use by Native Americans for making ropes and nets from its fibers.
Common Names
Heartleaf Milkweed, Purple Milkweed
Summary
Heartleaf milkweed is native to California, Nevada, and Oregon in the western United States; a perennial herb with upright stems about 0.3–0.6 m tall; opposite, heart-shaped leaves clasping the stem, bluish-green with a purplish tinge; flowers dark red to purple borne in erect umbels with reflexed corolla lobes; blooms in spring to summer; drought-tolerant with well-drained rocky soils; habitat includes rocky slopes, talus, woodlands, and chaparral; monarch butterfly host.
Prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil; drought-tolerant and low-maintenance; deer resistant; propagation by seed; hardiness zones 7–10; used in monarch habitat and pollinator gardens, as well as rock gardens and native plantings.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-4 feet
Spread
1-3 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 7a-10b
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained rocky soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained, rocky soil
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Bloom Color
Purple to red-violet
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Bluish-green with a purplish tinge
Fall Foliage Color
Almost purple-green, Blue
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Expands year to year as it becomes established.
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts butterflies and other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Benth.) Jeps.
- Publication
- Fl. W. Calif. : 384 (1901)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Gentianales
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
Synonyms
Acerates cordifolia Asclepias acornuta Asclepias ecornuta Gomphocarpus cordifolius Acerates atropurpurea