Asclepias amplexicaulis
(Sand Milkweed)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Sand Milkweed, Clasping Milkweed, Bluntleaf Milkweed
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 4 - 9
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: May - August
    Status: Native
    Range:

Asclepias amplexicaulis, or Sand Milkweed, is native to most of the eastern United States. It grows in sandy open woods, as well as woodland edges, and dry prairies and meadows. It blooms in mid summer, with flowers that can either be green or pink, or a mix of both. This, along with other Asclepias species, are the food source of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

Although there are over a hundred species in this genus in the United States, they come in many different shapes and colors, which makes most of them easy to distinguish. This species is glabrous - which means smooth and hairless - and it also has leaves which clasp around the stem, and the leaves also have a wrinkled look on the margins, like they need to be ironed out. And finally, its flowers are very sparse and have only a few flowers per flower cluster.

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