Ohio Native Plant Natural Range
To view the natural range of Asclepias purpurascens visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website.
List as Endangered in - Wisconsin and Massachusetts, then Special Concern in Connecticut and Tennessee
Cultivation Information Asclepias purpurascens
Pronounced - ass-KLEP_ee-assHeight - 2 to 3 ft
Blooms - June - July
Flower Color - Rose
Sun - Sun to Part Sun
Hardy Zone - 4 to 9
Perennial
Soil - Moist to Medium
pH - 4.0 to 6.0Family - Asclepidaceae
Over the Years - Purple Milkweed is a bit more particular than Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriacac). We have found that is does best in a moist, but not soggy, partly sunny location. On several occasions a usually hot spring day occurring right around the time buds were developing seem to stress this native plant before it even got going, sadly this stress stymied seed development. There certainly could have been other factors, like soil chemistry, involved however, raising this native milkweed species in a cooler location seemed to help considerable. Many instance, other native perennials severed as a natural shade source.
Wildlife Significance Purple Milkweed
Nectar Source - for long-tongued bees,
Skippers - Silver-Spotted skipper,
Butterflies - Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Clouded Sulphur, Spring Azure, Great Spangled Fritillary, Eastern Tailed Blue, Silver-Spotted Skipper, beetles and numerous moths
Host Plant - Caterpillars of the Monarch butterflies, Milkweed tussock moth, Milkweed Tiger moth,
Leaves - Deer and other herbivores leave this plant alone, due to the bitter and toxic taste For more details on this plant visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Understanding Milkweed Plants
A Guide to the Milkweeds of Ohio - Natural Treasures of Ohio
