Pictured above: Savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) at Hal Scott Preserve in east Orange County. Photo by Stacey Matrazzo. Click on terms for botanical definitions. View post as a PDF
With its diminutive stature and greenish-yellow flowers, Savannah milkweed is oft overlooked in its native pineland and prairie habitats. It blooms late spring through fall, peaking in summer. Its flowers are attractive to bees, wasps and butterflies. Like all members of the Asclepias genus, Savannah 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.
Savannah milkweed’s urn-shaped flowers are five-petaled and deeply lobed. Atypical of most milkweed species, the lobes are not reflexed. Flowers are erect, pedicellate and born in loose axillary or terminal clusters. Leaves are linear, sessile and oppositely arranged. Lower leaves are reduced in size. Stems are slim and somewhat pubescent. 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.
Savannah milkweed buds, blooms and leaves. Photo by Emily Bell
Savannah milkweed with seed pod. Photo by Emily Bell
The genus Asclepias is named for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing because some Asclepias species, such as A. tuberosa, are known to have medicinal properties. The species epithet pedicellata refers to the pedicellate flowers.
Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane family) Native range: Nearly throughout To see where natural populations of Savannah milkweed have been vouchered, visit florida.plantatlas.usf.edu. Lifespan: Perennial Soil: Moist, well-drained sandy soils Exposure: Full sun to high pine shade Growth habit: 6–12” tall
Savannah milkweed is not commercially available. Visit a natural area to see it.
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.
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.
