Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Common Names

Swamp milkweed, pink milkweed and rose milkweed.

Latin Name

Asclepias incarnata

Family

Swamp milkweed is in the Apocynaceae, or dogbane, Family.  

Form

Swamp milkweed is a perennial wildflower that grows to a height of about 3 feet.

Leaves

The leaves are opposite with entire margins.  They are stalked and are oblong to linear-lanceolate in shape.  If broken the leaves exude a milky sap.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Flowers

The pink flowers appear in umbels at the end of the plant stalks.  Flowering occurs in the summer and fall.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Habitat

Swamp milkweed grows in moist areas such as wet woods, stream banks, lake margins, drainage ditches and wet fence rows.

Native Range

Swamp milkweed is native to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Landscape Use

In the home landscape it grows in full sun with average to moist soils. It needs a good source of sunlight in order for it to produce flowers, and constant moisture to keep it thriving.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Wildlife Uses

The flowers are a source of nectar for many insects including bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, and wasps.

The foliage, and seed pods, are larval food for the monarch, queen, and soldier butterflies.

Propagation

Can be grown easily from seed and transplanted when small.  It can also be propagated by cuttings.

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