Purple Milkweed (asclepias purpurascens)

11 years ago

Since there's been discussion about red milkweed, thought I'd share this photo of my purple milkweed in bloom. After this photo was taken a few weeks ago, six Monarch butterfly caterpillars used it as a host plant.

Source: definingyourhome.blogspot.com via Freda on Pinterest

Look for Monarch Caterpillars:

Source: definingyourhome.blogspot.com via Freda on Pinterest

Hardy in zones 3-9, purple milkweed prefers a bit more moisture when planted in full sun (as in my garden). Though, in my garden, it is planted in a rather dry area, but the roots are shaded by neighboring perennials such as nepeta and agastache.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple milkweed

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Comments (10)

gazania_gw
11 years ago
My Asclepia tuberosa is a long way from blooming, but I discovered 3 cats munching away on the leaves last Saturday. Yesterday morning there was a still moist chrysalis forming on a nearby daylily leaf. I brought it in the house to protect it from harm till it ecloses. This is a good 6 weeks earlier that I have ever seen it happen.
DYH
Original Author
11 years ago
This is the earliest that I've had Monarch cats, too. I usually get them on the way back to Mexico in August/September.

I hope this means the population will increase after years of decline.

In 2010, I happened to get some photos of the metamorphosis of a chrysalis on a container grass.

Here is a link that might be useful: watching a Monarch chrysalis in 2010
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I have the big white zinnias too. But the bees and butterflies seem to like the cosmos and salvias best. The bees go nuts for my white datura too. They are so funny. They'll be out there in the early evening before the flowers open buzzing all over the place. They'll force the blooms open enough that they can squeeze inside and then they get stuck. So then I'm out there deadheading and the flower buds are all buzzing angrily and I'm like "sorry guys, I'm not rescuing you. You should have been patient!" I was in the big park across the street this morning and I finally saw one lonely little milkweed. I have been scouring the field where there are normally a lot of them. It makes me really worried for the next generation of monarchs. I'm also worried about the birds. There are hardly any berries and seeds to get them through the winter. The hackberries and grapes are almost totally bare. I bought a couple of feeders and some seed last week for them. Haven't had a chance to put them up yet though. I've got to get all the houseplants inside and settled and then maybe I can work on that! Oh! Speaking of, I noticed that someone said monarchs will feed on Asclepias because it is related to the milkweeds. I was wondering if they would also like hoyas because they're also related. I have lots of them and they have been outside most of the time.
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Joe, I wintersowed some milkweed seed this year. It's up but still small, I have most of those other plants that are mentioned in this post. Don't forget to plant some Maypop for the Gulf Frits. Yes, I get them here in NE OK. They have had a program going at the botanical garden in Tulsa in past years. Not sure if that's still going on. Also I grew fennel last year and I had a lot of those Monarch caterpillars on it. With fennel, IF they leave you anything, you can use it in cooking or just enjoy the fragrance. But usually they strip the plant down to bare stems. They can be found in dill umbels, too.
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Comments (16)
As I understand it, Tropical milkweed can promote the spread of OE in areas where tropical milkweed does not freeze and die during the winter. The plant infected with OE survives the winter and is used by the next season's Monarchs thus perpetuating the OE. Tropical milkweed cannot survive outdoors in zone 6a winter in the St. Louis area. It does not even survive my 7a winter here in northern Arkansas. Perpetuating OE on overwintering plants can be prevented by starting over with new, fresh Tropical milkweed seedlings each spring. Planting native milkweed, such as Common and Purple, is very important no doubt. However, I have found that relying totally on native milkweeds to feed my cats is a problem because many natives have healthy, edible foliage only for a short time. The natives drop their leaves in the heat of summer, the time I need mw most, leaving me with nothing to feed the cats. My choices are to let the cats starve or to have Tropical as a backup food source. That being said, I am increasing my Common mw planting because it was such a fantastic food source last year. I raise my cats indoors, so I pick leaves and bring them in to feed them. A single Common leaf was so large it fed as many cats as 10-15 Tropical leaves saving me time & effort. Once picked the Common stayed fresh longer than Tropical, and the plant provided healthy, edible leaves well into September. It grew so large and its leaves were so huge I was able to raise the majority of my 150 cats on the one plant. For these reasons, I am planting more Common in hopes of reducing my need for Tropical. (The drawback to Common is that it spreads, so it needs to be planted in an area where it can either be contained or allowed to spread freely.) It seems to me there are ways to use Tropical mw responsibly with my goal being to provide as much food as possible and at the same time, minimize the threat of OE & delayed migration. (1) I can use Tropical strictly as a back up food source by growing it in an enclosed area. By preventing their access, Monarchs are not delayed in their migration. (2) I can pull up the tropical once migration time in my area has passed eliminating delayed migration and OE.
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Comments (4)
I've studied photos of various milkweed on line and it looks like common can, at times, display a pinkish purple coloring of the middle vein of the leaf. To my knowledge, all the common I have originated from the original pot planting and those leaves have white middle veins. By the little I've found online about Purple MW and it's root structure, it pretty much forms colonies so I doubt another stalk would be coming up so far away from a mother plant. I should have at least taken photos and included with my question. :-) I've never had so many Monarch cats this early in the year and most of the young growth of milkweed has gone into their tummies. Hopefully, the mw, no matter the variety, is strong enough to come back. Mary
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christie_sw_mo
11 years ago
Beautiful photos! I sowed swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, and purple milkweed from seed this year and my purple milkweed is growing the slowest. I'm worried that something will eat them before they get a chance to take off. They're so tiny. I'm really looking forward to seeing them bloom after seeing your photos.
echinaceamaniac
11 years ago
Cameron - Does that variety smell good? I saw some Asclepias syriaca in Maine and you could smell it in the car while driving. I have never seen another milkweed that smells so good. My parents have 20 acres of land and are wanting to grow a patch of it.
DYH
Original Author
11 years ago
My purple milkweed took about 2 years to bloom the first time. Don't give up on it. I have more trouble with incarnata surviving.

The Monarchs go to purpurascens first, then the incarnata and finally the tuberosa.

You know, I've not stuck my nose in the purple milkweed blooms because there's always a bee (or 10) on the blooms! I haven't noticed the fragrance hanging in the air, but my gardenia and jasmine are blooming right now...and bloom at this time every year, so I wouldn't notice if there was another fragrance. Maybe I'll go shoo the bees away so that I can answer your question!

Cameron
tepelus
11 years ago
Someday I hope to find seeds for these, I think they are so pretty!

Karen
DYH
Original Author
11 years ago
Everwilde online wildflower seed vendor carries many varieties of milkweed seeds, including this one. I bought mine in 2" pots from a local nursery.
echinaceamaniac
11 years ago
I had some seeds of these. They are now soaking. I got mine from Prairie Moon.
tepelus
11 years ago
I haven't looked on Prairie Moon or Everwilde's websites in a while, but usually every time I look on either they are both out of purple milkweed seeds.

So I just checked to see their availability, and I wasn't disappointed (er, rather yes), they were both out.

Karen
echinaceamaniac
11 years ago
I bet someone has some seeds to trade. I only had 6 seeds. These aren't as easy to grow as the other varieties. I am trying one more time.

Purple Milkweed (asclepias purpurascens)

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Purple Milkweed (asclepias purpurascens)

Comments (10)

gazania_gw

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