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Poke milkweed?

17 years ago

I was hiking last weekend in the Appalachian Mts. in Virginia and saw some milkweed plants in the woods. They had mature seedpods on them - that is the only way I recognized them as milkweed, as the leaves were all dead. When I got home, I tried to determine what kind of milkweed it was using google and came up with poke milkweed as being native to that area and growing in the shade. Is my identification likely to be correct, or are there other native milkweeds that will grow in the woods? The plants were not very tall, 3 ft. or under.

Thanks.

Becky

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Comments (7)

rbrady
17 years ago
Hi!

How much shade? I mean woodland, or woodland edge/openings? I believe Poke is the only one that will grow in the woods (up to 100% shade), but some of the others will tolerate some shade (woodland edges/openings up to 70%shade). Hope this helps!

Rhonda
Iris GW
17 years ago
Asclepias variegata is the one that I usually find in the woods. Not sure if "poke milkweed" is a nickname for it; I've never heard of that term.
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No, the plant you are talking about is just plain pokeweed. We have lots of them around here, too. They have pretty dark purple berries in the fall and a huge taproot. They are not, however, a host plant for Monarch butterflies. Poke milkweed is a totally different plant, Asclepias exaltata. I'm not sure which milkweed species are native to your region, but Miss Sherry can probably answer that for you. Liz Here is a link that might be useful: Pokeweed
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Iris GW
17 years ago
I see that "poke milkweed" is the common name for Asclepias exaltata. Looks like both of them are found in the Applachian Mts in Virginia (according to the distribution maps on the USDA site).
rbrady
17 years ago
You are right esh ga, I completely forgot about Asclepias exalta! The funny thing is I just did research on Asclepias species for my mother and that was one of them. I'll go take my ginko biloba now!

Rhonda
rbrady
17 years ago
oops, meant variegata!
ladyslppr
17 years ago
Poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) is the commonest milkweed in forests of the mountains of central PA. Here (about 100 miles north of VA) it grows along paths in the woods, beside forest roads, and in clearings, often in quite a bit of shade. I sometimes see common milkweed (ascpelias syriaca) growing in similar places, but the Poke milkweed seems more tolerant of shade. In the summer it often looks a lot like Common Milkweed struggling in too much shade - sort of tall, scraggly, the leaves are thinner and fewer, and the flower heads are not as full compared to a Common Milkweed in the sun.
ramazz
Original Author
17 years ago
I was hiking along the Appalachian Trail outside Waynesboro when I saw these plants. We were not at the edge of the woodlands - we were actually climbing the mountain, through the woods. There was some dappled sunlight. The plants were near the trail. And yes, I am referring to asclepias exaltata. Since the leaves were all dead or missing, I can't describe those. I did grab a few seeds, so with luck I will be able to identify the plant next year.

Thanks to everyone!

Becky

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