(Asclepias curassavica ‘Blood Flower’)
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Blood Flower Milkweed is a tender evergreen perennial flower that is native to South America but can be commonly found growing in moist areas and disturbed sites throughout the southern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 2-3' and features upright stems, 6” lance-shaped leaves, and showy clusters of reddish/orange petals with yellow hoods. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, resistant to deer, makes fabric, has medicinal properties, self sows, and is great as a cut flower!
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias
Species: curassavica
Variety: Bloodflower Milkweed
Also Known As: Mexican Butterfly Weed, Tropical Milkweed, Bloodflower, Silkweed, Indian Root, Cotton Bush, Sunset Flower, Wild Ipecacuanha.
Native to: Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Introduced into: Andaman Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Ascension, Assam, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Burkina, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Chagos Archipelago, Chile North, China South-Central, China Southeast, Congo, Cook Is., Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Fiji, Florida, Gabon, Ghana, Gilbert Is., Greece, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, Hawaii, India, Iraq, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Louisiana, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New South Wales, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Paraguay, Philippines, Queensland, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., South Australia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Tonga, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is., West Himalaya, Western Australia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe.
Ease of Growing: Easy
Grown as: Annual: 4-7
Perinnial: 8-12
Maturity (Blooms): Summer-Fall
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees are attracted to the flowers. Monarch butterflies lay eggs on this plant and the resulting larvae (caterpillars) use the plant leaves as a food source.
Containers: Yes
Light: Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Medium
Height: 24-36”
Spacing: 15-18”
USDA Zone: 4-12
Produces: upright stems, 6” lance-shaped leaves, and showy clusters of reddish/orange petals with yellow hoods.
Uses: Attractive foliage and flowers for beds, borders, cottage gardens, meadows and butterfly gardens. Also a good cut flower. Dried seed pods are attractive in arrangements.
Toxicity: Consider wearing gloves when working with these plants because the milky sap is poisonous if ingested and can be toxic to human skin. Can be poisonous to livestock.
Genus: Asclepias
Species: curassavica
Variety: Bloodflower Milkweed
Also Known As: Mexican Butterfly Weed, Tropical Milkweed, Bloodflower, Silkweed, Indian Root, Cotton Bush, Sunset Flower, Wild Ipecacuanha.
Native to: Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Introduced into: Andaman Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Ascension, Assam, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Burkina, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Chagos Archipelago, Chile North, China South-Central, China Southeast, Congo, Cook Is., Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Fiji, Florida, Gabon, Ghana, Gilbert Is., Greece, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, Hawaii, India, Iraq, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Louisiana, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New South Wales, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Paraguay, Philippines, Queensland, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., South Australia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Tonga, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is., West Himalaya, Western Australia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe.
Ease of Growing: Easy
Grown as: Annual: 4-7
Perinnial: 8-12
Maturity (Blooms): Summer-Fall
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees are attracted to the flowers. Monarch butterflies lay eggs on this plant and the resulting larvae (caterpillars) use the plant leaves as a food source.
Containers: Yes
Light: Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Medium
Height: 24-36”
Spacing: 15-18”
USDA Zone: 4-12
Produces: upright stems, 6” lance-shaped leaves, and showy clusters of reddish/orange petals with yellow hoods.
Uses: Attractive foliage and flowers for beds, borders, cottage gardens, meadows and butterfly gardens. Also a good cut flower. Dried seed pods are attractive in arrangements.
Toxicity: Consider wearing gloves when working with these plants because the milky sap is poisonous if ingested and can be toxic to human skin. Can be poisonous to livestock.
Direct sow seeds just below the surface of the soil in late fall or early spring. To start seed indoors, sow just below the surface of the soil in a flat 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring. After the last frost and when the seedlings have grown tall enough to handle safely, plant them 15-18” apart in full sun and rich, well drained soil. This plant tolerates light shade, as well as adapting well to either dry or moist soil. In cooler regions it can be grown as a container plant and brought indoors for the winter, or as an annual.
These plants are fairly slow to mature. They tolerate some soil dryness, but grow best with occasional watering. Self seeding may occur, but volunteer plants can easily be transplanted or removed while they are still small. Blood Flower attracts numerous butterflies and hummingbirds, and resists deer. Harmless aphids may infest the foliage, but can be removed by a spray of water from the hose. This plant can be cut back at any time of its growth to produce new foliage or tidy its growth. Mature plants can be divided.
Blood Flower makes a striking cut flower. Cut the stems long, choosing flowers that have just opened. Keep in mind that all parts of this plant are poisonous, and the milky sap 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.
Tagetes (marigolds), Morning glory and Sunflower to attract aphid predators.