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Purple Milkweed in the GardenTags plant encyclopedia

Asclepias purpurascens

 

Purple Milkweed

Milkweed is so named after the milky sap that exudes from broken or cut stems, and which is a skin irritant, and toxic. It has simple leaves, and bears complex globe-shaped, fragrant flowers in Summer. Both the leaves and flowers are important as the food source for Monarch butterflies, and are also attractive to bees and other butterflies. Asclepias purpurascens - Purple Milkweed - bears purple flowers

Contributed by @Mystic666

 
plant Features
  • Purple Milkweed likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Purple Milkweed likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

  • Purple Milkweed is frost hardy: 23f (-5°c)

    Frost Hardy: 23F (-5°C)

  • Purple Milkweed likes light and free draining

    Light and free draining

 
plant information

Common name

Purple Milkweed

Latin name

Asclepias purpurascens

type

Perennial

family

Apocynaceae

ph

4.8 - 6.5 Acid - Neutral

  • Light

    Purple Milkweed likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Frost

    Purple Milkweed is frost hardy: 23f (-5°c)

    Frost Hardy: 23F (-5°C)

  • Soil

    Purple Milkweed likes light and free draining

    Light and free draining

  • Water

    Purple Milkweed likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

  •  
    Best time to plant
  •  
    When the plant will bloom

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Purple Milkweed is 1.00meters x 1.00meters 1.00 M 1.00 M

Asclepias purpurascens

Milkweed is so named after the milky sap that exudes from broken or cut stems, and which is a skin irritant, and toxic. It has simple leaves, and bears complex globe-shaped, fragrant flowers in Summer. Both the leaves and flowers are important as the food source for Monarch butterflies, and are also attractive to bees and other butterflies. Asclepias purpurascens - Purple Milkweed - bears purple flowers


Planting

From Early Spring TO Mid Spring

These plants have a long tap-root, and because if this they don't transplant easily. The best chance of a survival rate when transplanting is to do it in Spring. Generally speaking, though, it is better to sow in situ, to avoid the need to transplant. Sow in a sunny sheltered site.

 

Propagating by seed

From Early Spring TO Mid Spring

Sow in Spring in situ - in a sunny, sheltered site. The seeds can be sown in Autumn, but need a chilling period first (three weeks or so in the fridge would suffice)

 

Flowering

From Early Summer TO Late Summer

Milkweed - both the leaves and flowers -is the food source for monarch butterflies, and as such is an important plant for anyone interested in supporting the monarch butterfly population. The flowers appear in Summer

 
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