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©Denver Botanic Gardens
butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa
United States
- Dimensions
-
Height: 1.0 ft. to 1.5 ft.
Spread: 1.0 ft. to 1.5 ft. - Growth Form
- Herbaceous
- Program Association
- Xeriscape Incentive Program
- Wildlife Uses
- Hummingbirds, Pollinators/ Invertebrates
- Sun Requirements
- Full Sun, Part Sun
- Water Requirements
- Low
- Season of Bloom
- May, June, July, August
- Flower Color
- Orange Shades
- Leaf Color
- Green Shades
- Aggressiveness
- Readily Seeds
- Design Considerations
- Long Blooming, Showy Flowers, Streetscape Plants
- Other Considerations
- Deer Tolerant
- Duration
- Perennial
- Soil Type
- Clay, Nutrient Poor, Sandy, Well Drained
- Pests/Disease Prone
- No City Data
- Hazards/Toxic
- No City Data.
Notes
This species is an important larval food host for three specialist butterfly species and adult food host to twenty-two specialist butterfly species, the most popular being the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Generally, Monarch butterflies will lay eggs on any Asclepias species and preferences change depending on season, habitat, and health of the milkweed. Provide a selection of milkweed species in your garden for these butterflies.
There are three subspecies of A. tuberosa identified by USDA Plants National Database, all native to the U.S. Subspecies rolfsii and tuberosa are native to the eastern states and subspecies interior is native to most of the U.S., including Colorado.