Pictured above: Fewflower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) by Emily Bell. Click on terms for botanical definitions. View post as a PDF.
Fewflower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) is a delicate perennial wildflower found in swamps and moist to wet pinelands and prairies throughout Florida. Its stunning orange to red flowers typically bloom late spring through fall. Like all members of the Asclepias genus, Fewflower 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.
Flowers are born in terminalumbels. Each flower bears a five-lobedcalyx and five-lobed corolla. Corolla lobes are reflexed. Often mistaken for petals are five hoods (or petaloidappendages) that form an upright corona — a characteristic typical of milkweed flowers. Leaves are long (4–8 inches), linear to lanceolate, with short petioles. They are oppositely arranged. Stems are slender and smooth. Seeds are born in 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.
Photo by Eleanor Dietrich
The genus Asclepias is named for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. The species epithet lanceolata refers to the lanceolate or lance-shaped leaves.
Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane family) Native range: Nearly throughout To see where natural populations of Fewflower milkweed have been vouchered, visit florida.plantatlas.usf.edu. Lifespan: Perennial Soil: Moist to wet sandy or calcareous soils Exposure: Full sun to minimal shade Growth habit: 2–3’+ tall
Fewflower milkweed is not generally commercially available. Visit a natural area to see it.
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.
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.
