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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database < Asclepias tuberosa

Butterflyweed
Butterfly Milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Tuberroot, Indian Paintbrush, Chiggerflower
Asclepias tuberosa

Butterflyweed is aptly named. It’s a terrific nectar producer and attracts butterflies galore—monarchs, tiger swallowtails, gulf fritillaries, and more! But this is not the milkweed monarchs prefer for egg-laying. Its tough, hairy leaves are unpalatable to caterpillars, and its clear sap (other milkweeds have milky sap) is low in the toxin monarchs need to protect themselves from predators.

Plant butterflyweed for its abundant nectar and its abundant beauty. The summer flower clusters are brilliant, eye-popping orange, and the individual flowers are exquisitely delicate and intricate, resembling tiny, many-pointed stars. Native grasses, including broomsedge and little bluestem, make excellent companion plants.

Family: Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Family)

Description: An herbaceous perennial with hairy, lance-shaped leaves that measure 2 to 4 inches in length. In late spring and summer, tiny orange flowers bloom in crowded round-topped or flat-topped clusters. Crescent-shaped pods mature between July and September and split open to release silky-tailed seeds that float away on the wind.

Size: 2 to 3 feet high and 2 feet wide.

Habit: Clump-forming.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Light: Full sun is best, but a little shade is tolerated.

Planting and Care: Butterflyweed has a long taproot, so it’s difficult to transplant from spot to spot. A much easier way to start a new patch is by seed. Harvest your seed as soon as the pods begin to split open. Once you’ve stripped the seeds of their silken parachutes, you can sow them immediately, directly into your planting bed. The ideal soil is poor, sandy, and well drained. If your soil is too moist or too rich, plants have a tendency to develop root rot. Aphids are attracted to all species of milkweed, but a blast of water from your garden hose or a healthy population of ladybugs should keep these pests under control.

Ornamental Value: Assets include interesting seed pods and showy clusters of small, complicated red-orange flowers.

Landscape Usage: At its best in large masses, butterflyweed is a great choice for a meadow or butterfly garden. It is perfect for a roadside planting, because it thrives in full sun and dry, poor soil and can tolerate air pollution.

Wildlife Benefits: Flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Native Habitat: Found in open woods and fields throughout Georgia.

Propagation: Fresh seed, root cuttings.

Text and photo by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation