Pictured above:Southern milkweed (Asclepias viridula) by Emily Bell. Click on terms for botanical definitions. View post as a PDF.
Southern milkweed (Asclepias viridula) is a rare, state-threatened wildflower found in wet prairies, flatwoods and bogs. It was likely once more widespread across northern Florida, but habitat alteration and fire suppression have relegated it primarily to the Apalachicola National Forest. Outside of Florida, it is only recorded in Houston County in southern Alabama and is thought to be present in southern Georgia, although no official county records confirm this.
Also known commonly as Green milkweed, Southern milkweed’s numerous flowers are a very light green to yellow-green and sometimes have a faint purplish hue on the corollas. They are born in umbels, individual flowers have reflexedcorollas and an upright corona — a characteristic typical of milkweed flowers. The plant’s slender straight stems tend to lean into the surrounding vegetation due to the weight of their blooms. Leaves are oppositely arranged and linear.
Photo by Emily Bell
Photo by Emily Bell
Southern milkweed blooms most reliably and robustly following fire.
Like all members of the Asclepias genus, Southern 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.
Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane family) Native range: Panhandle from Walton to Wakulla counties and northeast Florida. To see where natural populations of Southern milkweed have been vouchered, visit florida.plantatlas.usf.edu. Lifespan: Perennial Soil: Moist acidic soils Exposure: Full sun Growth habit: Up to 2 feet
Southern milkweed is not commercially available. Visit a natural area to see it.
For more 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.
