Purple Milkweed
Asclepias purpurascens
Summary 4
Asclepias purpurascens, the purple milkweed, is a herbaceous plant species. It is in the milkweed genus, Asclepias. It is native to the Eastern, Southern and Midwestern United States, a range similar to the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The plant gets its name from the flowers that first develop a pink color but then turn darker purple as they mature. Unlike common milkweed, purple milkweed prefers some shade and is considered a plant of partial shade. It is also considered an indicator of oak savanna, especially in Wisconsin. The species rarely produces seed pods, and pods of purple milkweed are smooth, unlike the rough warty ones produced by common milkweed.
Conservation status in the United States 5
It is listed endangered in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, as historical to Rhode Island, and as a special concern species in Connecticut and Tennessee.
Wildlife Interactions 4
Like other members of the milkweeds, several insects live off the plant, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophtalmus), large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), small milkweed bug (Lygaeus kalmii) and milkweed leaf beetle (Labidomera clivicollis).[citation needed] Other insects and pollinators feed off the flower's nectar.
This species is sometimes cultivated in gardens designed to attract butterflies, but is less common than the light purple swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) or the orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). The nectar of the plant attracts many other species of butterflies and insects as well.
Read More 6
- https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276864
- https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/pur_milkweed.htm
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASPU2
Sources and Credits
- no rights reserved, uploaded by Erica Krimmel
- (c) Danielle Brigida, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Danielle Brigida
- (c) Luke Dahlberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Luke Dahlberg
- Adapted by Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_purpurascens
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_purpurascens
- (c) Lauren LeCroy May, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
iNat Map
| Family | Dogbanes and milkweeds |
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