Index / Search / Asclepias tuberosa
§1 Plant
Asclepias tuberosa L.
vernacular butterfly milkweed — species · Asclepiadaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae Borkh.
- Genus
- Asclepias
§2a
Native status, by region
- CAN Canada Native
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
§2b
County-level range
· 777 counties across 21 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- High
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- Low
- Fire
- High
- Salinity
- None
- Anaerobic
- None
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -33 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 135 min.
- Precipitation
- 28–45 in/yr
- pH range
- 4.8–6.8
- Root depth
- 16 in min.
- Fertility need
- Low
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Multiple Stem
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 2 ft
- Foliage texture
- Coarse
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Moderate
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Flower colour
- Orange
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Mid Summer
- Seed abundance
- Medium
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Fall
- Spread rate
- Slow
- Stratify
- No
- Seeds / lb
- 70,000
- Propagation
- seed, container
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Low
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Protein potential
- Low
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 777 counties across 21 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 51 N ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Baldwin 01003
- Barbour 01005
- Bibb 01007
- Bullock 01011
- Butler 01013
- Calhoun 01015
- Chambers 01017
- Cherokee 01019
- Chilton 01021
- Clarke 01025
- Clay 01027
- Cleburne 01029
- Conecuh 01035
- Coosa 01037
- Covington 01039
- Crenshaw 01041
- Dale 01045
- Dallas 01047
- DeKalb 01049
- Escambia 01053
- Etowah 01055
- Fayette 01057
- Franklin 01059
- Greene 01063
- Hale 01065
- Henry 01067
- Houston 01069
- Jackson 01071
- Lauderdale 01077
- Lawrence 01079
- Lee 01081
- Lowndes 01085
- Macon 01087
- Marengo 01091
- Marshall 01095
- Mobile 01097
- Montgomery 01101
- Morgan 01103
- Pike 01109
- Randolph 01111
- Russell 01113
- Shelby 01117
- St. Clair 01115
- Sumter 01119
- Talladega 01121
- Tallapoosa 01123
- Tuscaloosa 01125
- Washington 01129
- Wilcox 01131
- Winston 01133
Arizona view state ↗ 11 N ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 60 N ▾
- Arkansas 05001
- Ashley 05003
- Baxter 05005
- Benton 05007
- Boone 05009
- Bradley 05011
- Calhoun 05013
- Carroll 05015
- Clark 05019
- Clay 05021
- Cleburne 05023
- Cleveland 05025
- Columbia 05027
- Conway 05029
- Craighead 05031
- Crawford 05033
- Dallas 05039
- Drew 05043
- Faulkner 05045
- Franklin 05047
- Fulton 05049
- Garland 05051
- Greene 05055
- Hempstead 05057
- Hot Spring 05059
- Howard 05061
- Independence 05063
- Izard 05065
- Jefferson 05069
- Johnson 05071
- Lawrence 05075
- Lee 05077
- Lincoln 05079
- Little River 05081
- Logan 05083
- Madison 05087
- Marion 05089
- Mississippi 05093
- Monroe 05095
- Montgomery 05097
- Nevada 05099
- Ouachita 05103
- Perry 05105
- Polk 05113
- Pope 05115
- Prairie 05117
- Pulaski 05119
- Randolph 05121
- Saline 05125
- Searcy 05129
- Sebastian 05131
- Sevier 05133
- Sharp 05135
- St. Francis 05123
- Stone 05137
- Union 05139
- Van Buren 05141
- Washington 05143
- White 05145
- Yell 05149
Delaware view state ↗ 3 N ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Florida view state ↗ 55 N ▾
- Alachua 12001
- Baker 12003
- Bay 12005
- Bradford 12007
- Brevard 12009
- Calhoun 12013
- Charlotte 12015
- Citrus 12017
- Clay 12019
- Collier 12021
- Columbia 12023
- DeSoto 12027
- Dixie 12029
- Duval 12031
- Gadsden 12039
- Gilchrist 12041
- Gulf 12045
- Hamilton 12047
- Hernando 12053
- Highlands 12055
- Hillsborough 12057
- Jackson 12063
- Jefferson 12065
- Lafayette 12067
- Lake 12069
- Lee 12071
- Leon 12073
- Levy 12075
- Liberty 12077
- Madison 12079
- Manatee 12081
- Marion 12083
- Miami-Dade 12086
- Nassau 12089
- Okaloosa 12091
- Okeechobee 12093
- Orange 12095
- Osceola 12097
- Palm Beach 12099
- Pasco 12101
- Pinellas 12103
- Polk 12105
- Putnam 12107
- Santa Rosa 12113
- Sarasota 12115
- Seminole 12117
- St. Johns 12109
- St. Lucie 12111
- Sumter 12119
- Suwannee 12121
- Taylor 12123
- Union 12125
- Volusia 12127
- Wakulla 12129
- Walton 12131
Georgia view state ↗ 65 N ▾
- Bacon 13005
- Baker 13007
- Bartow 13015
- Berrien 13019
- Brooks 13027
- Calhoun 13037
- Chatham 13051
- Cherokee 13057
- Clarke 13059
- Colquitt 13071
- Columbia 13073
- Dade 13083
- Dawson 13085
- DeKalb 13089
- Dougherty 13095
- Echols 13101
- Effingham 13103
- Elbert 13105
- Floyd 13115
- Forsyth 13117
- Fulton 13121
- Gilmer 13123
- Gwinnett 13135
- Hall 13139
- Harris 13145
- Heard 13149
- Henry 13151
- Houston 13153
- Jackson 13157
- Jasper 13159
- Jefferson 13163
- Jenkins 13165
- Jones 13169
- Lamar 13171
- Lanier 13173
- Laurens 13175
- Lee 13177
- Long 13183
- Lowndes 13185
- Macon 13193
- Madison 13195
- McIntosh 13191
- Morgan 13211
- Murray 13213
- Muscogee 13215
- Oconee 13219
- Oglethorpe 13221
- Paulding 13223
- Pierce 13229
- Quitman 13239
- Rabun 13241
- Randolph 13243
- Screven 13251
- Spalding 13255
- Stephens 13257
- Tift 13277
- Turner 13287
- Union 13291
- Upson 13293
- Walker 13295
- Wayne 13305
- Wheeler 13309
- Whitfield 13313
- Wilkes 13317
- Wilkinson 13319
Kentucky view state ↗ 87 N ▾
- Adair 21001
- Allen 21003
- Anderson 21005
- Barren 21009
- Bath 21011
- Bell 21013
- Boone 21015
- Bracken 21023
- Breckinridge 21027
- Bullitt 21029
- Butler 21031
- Caldwell 21033
- Calloway 21035
- Campbell 21037
- Carroll 21041
- Carter 21043
- Casey 21045
- Christian 21047
- Clark 21049
- Clay 21051
- Clinton 21053
- Crittenden 21055
- Cumberland 21057
- Edmonson 21061
- Elliott 21063
- Estill 21065
- Fleming 21069
- Floyd 21071
- Franklin 21073
- Fulton 21075
- Grant 21081
- Graves 21083
- Grayson 21085
- Green 21087
- Hardin 21093
- Harrison 21097
- Henderson 21101
- Henry 21103
- Hickman 21105
- Hopkins 21107
- Jackson 21109
- Jefferson 21111
- Knott 21119
- Larue 21123
- Laurel 21125
- Lawrence 21127
- Lee 21129
- Lewis 21135
- Lincoln 21137
- Livingston 21139
- Logan 21141
- Lyon 21143
- Madison 21151
- Marion 21155
- Marshall 21157
- Mason 21161
- McCracken 21145
- McCreary 21147
- McLean 21149
- Meade 21163
- Menifee 21165
- Mercer 21167
- Metcalfe 21169
- Monroe 21171
- Montgomery 21173
- Muhlenberg 21177
- Nelson 21179
- Nicholas 21181
- Ohio 21183
- Oldham 21185
- Owen 21187
- Pendleton 21191
- Powell 21197
- Pulaski 21199
- Robertson 21201
- Rockcastle 21203
- Rowan 21205
- Scott 21209
- Shelby 21211
- Taylor 21217
- Todd 21219
- Trimble 21223
- Warren 21227
- Wayne 21231
- Webster 21233
- Whitley 21235
- Woodford 21239
Louisiana view state ↗ 35 N ▾
- Allen 22003
- Beauregard 22011
- Bienville 22013
- Bossier 22015
- Caddo 22017
- Caldwell 22021
- Cameron 22023
- Claiborne 22027
- De Soto 22031
- East Baton Rouge 22033
- East Feliciana 22037
- Evangeline 22039
- Grant 22043
- Iberia 22045
- Jackson 22049
- Jefferson 22051
- LaSalle 22059
- Lincoln 22061
- Morehouse 22067
- Natchitoches 22069
- Ouachita 22073
- Rapides 22079
- Red River 22081
- Richland 22083
- Sabine 22085
- St. Helena 22091
- St. Landry 22097
- St. Tammany 22103
- Union 22111
- Vermilion 22113
- Vernon 22115
- Washington 22117
- Webster 22119
- West Feliciana 22125
- Winn 22127
Maine view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Mississippi view state ↗ 46 N ▾
- Adams 28001
- Attala 28007
- Chickasaw 28017
- Choctaw 28019
- Clarke 28023
- Clay 28025
- DeSoto 28033
- Forrest 28035
- Franklin 28037
- George 28039
- Grenada 28043
- Hancock 28045
- Hinds 28049
- Holmes 28051
- Itawamba 28057
- Jasper 28061
- Jefferson 28063
- Jefferson Davis 28065
- Kemper 28069
- Lafayette 28071
- Lamar 28073
- Lauderdale 28075
- Leake 28079
- Lee 28081
- Lincoln 28085
- Madison 28089
- Marshall 28093
- Monroe 28095
- Montgomery 28097
- Newton 28101
- Noxubee 28103
- Panola 28107
- Perry 28111
- Pontotoc 28115
- Prentiss 28117
- Scott 28123
- Simpson 28127
- Smith 28129
- Tippah 28139
- Tishomingo 28141
- Union 28145
- Walthall 28147
- Warren 28149
- Washington 28151
- Webster 28155
- Winston 28159
New Hampshire view state ↗ 3 N ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 19 N ▾
New York view state ↗ 31 N ▾
- Albany 36001
- Bronx 36005
- Chemung 36015
- Columbia 36021
- Dutchess 36027
- Erie 36029
- Herkimer 36043
- Kings 36047
- Monroe 36055
- Nassau 36059
- New York 36061
- Oneida 36065
- Onondaga 36067
- Ontario 36069
- Orange 36071
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Rensselaer 36083
- Richmond 36085
- Rockland 36087
- Saratoga 36091
- Schenectady 36093
- Steuben 36101
- Suffolk 36103
- Sullivan 36105
- Tompkins 36109
- Warren 36113
- Washington 36115
- Wayne 36117
- Westchester 36119
- Yates 36123
North Carolina view state ↗ 93 N ▾
- Alamance 37001
- Alexander 37003
- Alleghany 37005
- Anson 37007
- Ashe 37009
- Avery 37011
- Beaufort 37013
- Bertie 37015
- Bladen 37017
- Brunswick 37019
- Buncombe 37021
- Burke 37023
- Cabarrus 37025
- Caldwell 37027
- Camden 37029
- Caswell 37033
- Catawba 37035
- Chatham 37037
- Cherokee 37039
- Chowan 37041
- Clay 37043
- Cleveland 37045
- Columbus 37047
- Craven 37049
- Cumberland 37051
- Currituck 37053
- Dare 37055
- Davidson 37057
- Duplin 37061
- Durham 37063
- Edgecombe 37065
- Forsyth 37067
- Franklin 37069
- Gaston 37071
- Gates 37073
- Graham 37075
- Granville 37077
- Greene 37079
- Guilford 37081
- Halifax 37083
- Harnett 37085
- Haywood 37087
- Henderson 37089
- Hertford 37091
- Hoke 37093
- Iredell 37097
- Jackson 37099
- Johnston 37101
- Jones 37103
- Lee 37105
- Lenoir 37107
- Lincoln 37109
- Macon 37113
- Madison 37115
- Martin 37117
- McDowell 37111
- Mecklenburg 37119
- Mitchell 37121
- Montgomery 37123
- Moore 37125
- Nash 37127
- New Hanover 37129
- Northampton 37131
- Onslow 37133
- Orange 37135
- Pender 37141
- Person 37145
- Pitt 37147
- Polk 37149
- Randolph 37151
- Richmond 37153
- Robeson 37155
- Rockingham 37157
- Rowan 37159
- Rutherford 37161
- Sampson 37163
- Scotland 37165
- Stanly 37167
- Stokes 37169
- Surry 37171
- Swain 37173
- Transylvania 37175
- Union 37179
- Vance 37181
- Wake 37183
- Warren 37185
- Washington 37187
- Watauga 37189
- Wayne 37191
- Wilkes 37193
- Wilson 37195
- Yadkin 37197
- Yancey 37199
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 52 N ▾
- Adams 42001
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clarion 42031
- Clearfield 42033
- Clinton 42035
- Cumberland 42041
- Dauphin 42043
- Delaware 42045
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Greene 42059
- Huntingdon 42061
- Indiana 42063
- Juniata 42067
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lebanon 42075
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- Monroe 42089
- Montgomery 42091
- Montour 42093
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Philadelphia 42101
- Pike 42103
- Schuylkill 42107
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Sullivan 42113
- Union 42119
- Venango 42121
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- Westmoreland 42129
- Wyoming 42131
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 100 N ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Albemarle 51003
- Alleghany 51005
- Amelia 51007
- Amherst 51009
- Appomattox 51011
- Arlington 51013
- Augusta 51015
- Bath 51017
- Bedford 51019
- Bland 51021
- Botetourt 51023
- Brunswick 51025
- Buchanan 51027
- Buckingham 51029
- Campbell 51031
- Caroline 51033
- Carroll 51035
- Charles City 51036
- Charlotte 51037
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Craig 51045
- Culpeper 51047
- Cumberland 51049
- Dickenson 51051
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Floyd 51063
- Fluvanna 51065
- Franklin 51067
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Gloucester 51073
- Goochland 51075
- Grayson 51077
- Greene 51079
- Greensville 51081
- Halifax 51083
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Hanover 51085
- Henrico 51087
- Henry 51089
- Highland 51091
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- King and Queen 51097
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lancaster 51103
- Lee 51105
- Loudoun 51107
- Louisa 51109
- Lunenburg 51111
- Madison 51113
- Mathews 51115
- Mecklenburg 51117
- Middlesex 51119
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- New Kent 51127
- Newport News (city) 51700
- Northampton 51131
- Northumberland 51133
- Nottoway 51135
- Orange 51137
- Page 51139
- Patrick 51141
- Pittsylvania 51143
- Powhatan 51145
- Prince Edward 51147
- Prince George 51149
- Prince William 51153
- Pulaski 51155
- Rappahannock 51157
- Richmond 51159
- Roanoke 51161
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Shenandoah 51171
- Smyth 51173
- Southampton 51175
- Spotsylvania 51177
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Tazewell 51185
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Westmoreland 51193
- Wise 51195
- Wythe 51197
- York 51199
West Virginia view state ↗ 46 N ▾
- Barbour 54001
- Berkeley 54003
- Braxton 54007
- Brooke 54009
- Cabell 54011
- Calhoun 54013
- Doddridge 54017
- Fayette 54019
- Gilmer 54021
- Grant 54023
- Greenbrier 54025
- Hampshire 54027
- Hancock 54029
- Hardy 54031
- Harrison 54033
- Jackson 54035
- Jefferson 54037
- Kanawha 54039
- Lewis 54041
- Marion 54049
- Marshall 54051
- Mason 54053
- McDowell 54047
- Mercer 54055
- Mineral 54057
- Monongalia 54061
- Monroe 54063
- Morgan 54065
- Nicholas 54067
- Pendleton 54071
- Pocahontas 54075
- Preston 54077
- Raleigh 54081
- Randolph 54083
- Ritchie 54085
- Roane 54087
- Summers 54089
- Taylor 54091
- Tucker 54093
- Tyler 54095
- Upshur 54097
- Wayne 54099
- Wetzel 54103
- Wirt 54105
- Wood 54107
- Wyoming 54109
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/ASTU ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/3170305 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T05:45:41Z