(Asclepias syriaca ‘Common’)

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Common Milkweed is a native perennial flower that is commonly found growing in open woods, fields, and along railroads and roadsides throughout the central and eastern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 3-4' and features thick upright stems, light green leaves that have red veins, and aromatic domed shaped clusters of purplish pink flowers. This plant attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, resistant to deer, tolerates drought, is used to makes fabric, glue, paper, soap, and twine, self sows, has medicinal properties, and is great as a cut flower! 

  • General Information
  • Germination
  • Seedlings
  • Harvesting
  • Seed Saving
  • Culinary & Medicinal
  • Companion Planting
  • Other Uses
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​Family: Apocynaceae

Genus: Asclepias

Species: syriaca

Variety: Common Milkweed

Also Known As: Butterfly Flower, Silkweed, Silky Swallowwort, Virginia Silkweed

Native to: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Introduced into: Altay, Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hungary, Italy, Kirgizstan, Krym, Oregon, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia.

Ease of Growing: Moderate

Grown as: Perennial
 
Maturity (Blooms): June to August

Light: Full sun

Water: Dry to medium​

Soil Moisture: dry to medium, well-drained.

Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars). 

Containers?: No

Height: 36-48”
 
Spacing: 18-24”
 
USDA Zone: 3a-9b

Produces: thick upright stems, light green leaves that have red veins, and aromatic domed shaped clusters of purplish pink flowers.

Garden Uses: Butterfly gardens, meadows, prairies, or naturalized/native plant areas. This plant is considered by many gardeners to be too vigorous and weedy for borders.
In late fall, direct sow just below the surface in full sun and well drained soil. This plant also tolerates dry, rocky soil or clay. Plant three seeds together every 18-24 inches. Germination will take place in the spring, after the last frost. When the seedlings appear, thin to the strongest plant; seedlings usually do not survive transplanting, since they resent any disturbance of their roots. For spring planting, mix the seeds with moist sand and refrigerate for 30 days before direct sowing.
Though this plant can tolerate some dryness, occasional watering may be necessary. The flowers attract bees and butterflies, especially monarch butterflies. Deer avoid this plant. This plant will reseed itself and often spreads extensively in the wild.
This makes a striking cut flower. Cut the stems long, choosing flowers that have just opened. Keep in mind that the milky sap is mildly toxic and can irritate the skin.
After the plant finishes flowering, 3-4” narrow pods will form. Be sure to harvest the pods before they split and the silky fluff carries the seeds away on the wind. As soon as the seeds inside the pod ripen to their mature brown color, remove the pods and spread them out to dry. Split open the pods and take out the silky seed material. Remove the fluff from the seeds. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place.

Culinary

Unopened flower buds: cooked. They taste somewhat like peas. They are used like broccoli.

Flowers and young flower buds: cooked. They have a mucilaginous texture and a pleasant flavor, they can be used as a flavoring and a thickener in soups etc. The flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup. The flowers are harvested in the early morning with the dew still on them. When boiled up they make a brown sugar.

Young shoots: cooked. An asparagus substitute. They should be used when less than 20 cm tall. A slightly bitter taste. Tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach.

Young seed pods: 3 - 4 cm long, cooked. They are very appetizing. Best used when about 2-4 cm long and before the seed floss forms, on older pods remove any seed floss before cooking them. If picked at the right time, the pods resemble okra. The sprouted seeds can be eaten. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. The latex in the stems is a suitable replacement for chicle and can be made into a chewing gum. It is not really suitable for use in tires. The latex is found mainly in the leaves and is destroyed by frost. Yields are higher on dry soils.

Known hazards: Although no specific reports have been seen for this species, many, if not all, members of this genus contain toxic resinoids, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides. They are usually avoided by grazing animals. The older leaves are poisonous if eaten in large quantities. The plant contains cardioactive compounds and is potentially toxic.

Medicinal

The root is anodyne, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and purgative. It has been used in the treatment of asthma, kidney stones, venereal disease etc. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. An infusion of the pounded roots has been used by the women of some native North American Indian tribes to promote temporary sterility. The leaves and/or the latex are used in folk remedies for treating cancer and tumors. The milky latex from the stems and leaves is used in the treatment of warts. The latex needs to be applied at least daily over a period of up to a few weeks to be effective. The stems can be cooked and applied as a poultice on rheumatic joints. One reported Mohawk anti-fertility concoction contained milkweed and jack-in-the-pulpit, both considered contraceptive. Dried and pulverized, a fistful of milkweed and three Arisaema rhizomes were infused in a pint of water for 20 minutes. The infusion was drunk, a cupful an hour, to induce temporary sterility. The rhizome is used in homeopathy as an anti-oedemic and emmenagogue in the treatment of dropsy and dysmenorrhoea.
Project Purity Seeds can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Companion Planting

Tagetes (marigolds), Morning glory and Sunflower to attract aphid predators.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Somewhat weedy and can spread.
A good quality fiber is obtained from the inner bark of the stems. It is long and quite strong, but brittle. It can be used in making twine, cloth, paper etc. The fiber is of poor quality in wet seasons. It is easily harvested in late autumn after the plant has died down by simply pulling the fibers off the dried stems. It is estimated that yields of 1,356 kilos per hectare could be obtained from wild plants. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibers to make cloth. It is a Kapok substitute, used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material. Very water repellent, it can yield up to 550 kilos per hectare. The floss absorbs oil whilst repelling water and so has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Candlewicks can be made from the seed floss. In cultivation, only 1 - 3% of the flowers produce mature pods. It is estimated that yields of 1,368 kilos per hectare could be obtained from wild plants. Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and the stems. It is found mainly in the leaves and is destroyed by frost. Yields of 197 kilos per hectare can be expected from wild plants, it is estimated that by selection these yields could be increased to 897 kilos. Yields are higher on dry soils. The latex can also be used as a glue for fixing precious stones into necklaces, earrings etc. The latex contains 0.1 - 1.5% caoutchouc, 16 - 17% dry matter, and 1.23% ash. It also contains the digitalis-like mixture of a- and b- asclepiadin, the anti-tumor b-sitosterol, and a- and b- amyrin and its acetate, dextrose and wax. Pods contain an oil and a wax which are of potential importance. The seed contains up to 20% of an edible semi-drying oil. It is also used in making liquid soap.

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