Pictured above: Carolina milkweed (Asclepias cinerea) by Betsy Harris. Click on terms for botanical definitions. View post as a PDF.
With its narrow leaves and fine stems, Carolina milkweed (Asclepias cinerea) can get lost among the wiregrass with which it typically grows. But its splendidly stellar blooms will stop you in your tracks. You’ll find it flowering in summer in sandhills, pine flatwoods and bogs throughout the Panhandle and North Florida.
Carolina milkweed flowers and buds. Photo by Emily Bell
Carolina milkweed flowers are born in loose axillary or terminalumbels. Each flower bears a five-lobedcalyx and five-lobed corolla, both of which may be lavender, pale purple or even grayish-white. Corolla lobes may be reflexed, but generally remain flat, giving the bloom a star-like appearance. The narrow, linear leaves are few and oppositely arranged. Leaf surface is glabrous. Stems and flower stalks are delicately thin; they bend under the weight of the inflorescences, causing the flowers to droop. Seeds are born in smooth, erect follicles that dry and split open as the fruit matures. Each seed is attached to a white silky pappus that catches the wind and aids in dispersal.
The genus Asclepias is named for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. The species epithet cinerea is from the Latin cinereus, meaning “ash-like” or “ash-colored.”
Like all members of the Asclepias genus, Carolina milkweed is a larval host plant for Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies. The plant contains a milky latex that is toxic to most animals, but Monarch, Queen and Soldier caterpillars are adapted to feed on them despite the chemical defense. Learn more about Monarchs and Milkweed in Florida here. The flowers are an important nectar source for bees and wasps.
Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane family) Native range: Panhandle, peninsula south to Marion County To see where natural populations of Carolina milkweed have been vouchered, visit florida.plantatlas.usf.edu. Lifespan: Perennial Soil: Moist, well-drained soils Exposure: Full sun to filtered shade Growth habit: ±2′ tall
Carolina milkweed plants are not commercially available. Visit a natural area to see them.
For information on other Asclepias species, see these resources:
Clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) is a late spring- through summer- blooming milkweed that occurs in dry sandy areas from sandhills to pine savannahs, open woodlands and fallow fields.
Florida milkweed (Asclepias feayi) is a dainty endemic at home in the sandhills and scrubby flatwoods of Central and South Florida. It emerges from winter dormancy in spring and typically blooms mid-summer.
Fewflower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) is a delicate wildflower found in swamps and moist to wet pinelands and prairies throughout Florida. Its stunning orange flowers typically bloom late spring through fall.
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias perennis) blooms in late spring through early fall and attracts many pollinators. It is a larval host plant for Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies.
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ) has showy pink flowers that typically bloom in summer and attract many pollinators. It occurs naturally in floodplain swamps, hydric hammocks, wet pine flatwoods and marshes.
With its diminutive stature and greenish-yellow flowers, Savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) is oft overlooked in its native pineland and prairie habitats. It blooms late spring through fall, peaking in summer.
Green antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis) is an herbaceous perennial wildflower found in pinelands, pine rocklands and disturbed areas in a few Florida counties. It flowers winter through summer, with peak blooms in spring.
Longleaf milkweed (Asclepias longifolia ) is a deciduous perennial wildflower that occurs naturally in bogs, moist to wet flatwoods and prairies. It typically blooms in spring but may bloom well into summer or early fall.
Pinewoods milkweed (Asclepias humistrata) occurs naturally in sandhills, scrub and dry, ruderal areas. It blooms in spring and summer, attracting many pollinators including wasps and butterflies.
Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata ) is one of the smaller, more delicate native milkweeds and is easily overlooked when not in bloom. It flowers late spring through summer and into early fall.
Largeflower milkweed (Asclepias connivens ) is a perennial wildflower found throughout much of Florida. Its conspicuous flowers appear in late spring through summer in moist pine flatwoods, savannahs and bogs.
Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a perennial that produces large, showy clusters of bright orange to reddish flowers from spring through fall. It occurs naturally in sandhills, pine flatwoods, and other sandy uplands.
