Long-flowering milkweed that grows in wet areas and tolerates shade. Vivid white flowers are sometimes pink-tinged, borne on umbels, and last from early to late summer. Flowers are followed by drooping seed pods that lack the silky hairs of some milkweeds. Foliage consists of long-lasting lance-shaped leaves. A host plant for larvae of the monarch butterfly: also, a nectar plant for pollinators.
Native Plant Database
Header Photo: Mervin Wallace
Aquatic Milkweed
Asclepias perennis
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennials
Native Environment: Wetland
Season of Interest: Mid (May - June), Late (July - frost)
Main Color: Pink / Rose, White
Fall Color:
USDA PLANTS Range Map
At the range map link above, zoom in for county-level data
Photo: Mervin Wallace
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Medium Sun/Average Shade
Soil
Moisture
High, Wet
Nature Attracting
Butterfly, Pollinators/Beneficial Insects
Wildlife Benefit
Butterfly / Moth Host, Food/Pollinators
Animal
Resistance
Deer Resistant
Size
Height:
18 to
24
inches
Spread:
12 to
18
inches
Size
Height: 18 to
24
inches
Spread: 12 to
18
inches
Size
Height: 18 to
24
inches
Spread: 12 to
18
inches
Typical Landscape Use
Rain gardens and moist or wet butterfly/pollinator gardens.
Establishment and Care Instructions
Site where plant will have consistent moisture.
Special Features
Special Usage
Rainscaping
Basic Description
Where Should I Start?
Check out the Grow Native! Committee’s Top Ten picks of native plants for a particular purpose.
What’s the Next Step?
Picked out your plants? View our Resource Guide of garden centers, seed sources, landscapers, education resources, and more!
Where Can I Find This Plant in Nature?
Learn about the Native Environment(s) inhabited by the plants in this database.