Common Milkweed, PA Ecotype

Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) is an erect-growing perennial native that typically grows to 6.5 ft. with the characteristic sticky, milky sap associated with milkweeds. The leaves of Common Milkweed grow in an opposite arrangement on hairy stems, and spreads by rhizomes. Asclelpias syriaca blooms in midsummer with purple flower clusters produced along the stem. When sunlight strikes the blooms of Common Milkweed, they emit the scent of lilacs. Honey collected from monocultures of Asclepias syriaca carries this scent, and the flavor has lilac overtones. Common Milkweed grows in full sun in mesic to well-drained soils, but is occasionally observed in partial sun. Asclepias syriaca is a host plant for caterpillars of monarch butterflies and provides nectar for many species of native bees and butterflies. Common Milkweed is an excellent addition fo pollinator-friendly, steep slope, and woodland edge mixes, and the rhizomes help to knit the soil together. Seed dormancy can be high for individual lots of Asclepias syriaca. We recommend three months of cold, moist stratification to break dormancy for transplant production. Common Milkweed is a member of the milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) family. The genus name is derived from Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, while the species name syriaca means Syrian. During World War II, the U.S. did not have access to the fruit of the kapok tree, whose fibers were used to fill lifejackets. The U.S. Department of Agriculture led a program to collect Asclepias syriaca pods. The floss (fluff) that helps milkweed seeds blow in the wind was collected from these pods and used to fill lifejackets. The slogan for this program was “pick a weed, save a life”. Twenty-six ounces of floss were needed to keep a 150-pound man afloat for 48 hours in sea water. Two 20-pound bags of milkweed pods had to be collected for this much floss.