One of the problems I am finding is that Matalea is also spelled Matelea still doesn't help but there you go I wish they would go with one or the other and now as of today I also found some commone names by going through the Texas Native Vines Database boy was that fun! Okay here we go girls! Look for Green Milkweed vine that is Matelea reticulata and also Rambling milkvine that is Sarcostemma hirtelum, Matelea Biflora that is Two-flower milkvine or Star milkvine. Pearl milkvine that is Matelea Edwards milkvine I may have found Matelea Carolinesis as Carolina Milkvine. Won't know until he goes back to his old place but I will eventually have it... Like I said it is so hard to fine these vines!! if were all looking we might find one! thanks Carol

Hi - It sounds interesting. How about a picture? Thanks - tina_2

Hi Linda; I am not that far from you in the Dayton area. There are lots of milkweed to choose from. All have different properties. So you are wise in asking questions instead of putting any old thing in and regretting it later. I will give you the info I have on the "big four" that most people grow and we grow up here at the Butterfly house at Cox. I also have grown most of these in my yard. 1) Asclepias curassavica - a.k.a. tropical milkweed, scarlet milkweed, blood flower. For us, we consider it an annual. I have only had it reseed once during a very mild winter. It produces a lot of seeds and can be collected to replant every year. It is loved by monarchs and has a medium high cardiac glycoside (CGs) level (the chemical that makes monarchs distasteful). The levels are important for a variety of reasons. Too high, bad for caterpillars, too low, they are not protected from a variety of things, including parasitic wasps and flies. The only bad things this milkweed is that it is an annual, so you have to replant it. Also in some parts of the country, mainly Florida, it does induce some migrating monarchs to stop migration and start reproducing. Comes in a yellow flower form as well. 2) Asclepias syriaca - A.K.A common or field milkweed. This is the McDonalds of the milkweed world. It has medium levels of CGs. The pros; It has large profuse blooms that attract all kinds of pollinators. The fragrance is unbelievable at times. Monarchs use it fairly well. Comes up pretty reliably year to year. The cons; it is a beast in the home garden, meaning that it can easily take over your yard, your neighbor's yard, etc, through "runners". The sap is profuse if a leaf or stem is broken and some people are very allergic to the sap(as it has tons of latex). Not the best monarch host plant due to the sap (young caterpillars can die from it easily). 3) Asclepias incarnata - a.k.a. swamp milkweed, ice ballet, rose milkweed. Medium to low CGs. Pros: Favorite of monarchs. They will use this one over a lot of the others. Pretty pink blooms. attracts a lot of pollinators. Fairly reliable (some people have trouble getting it to return year to year). Reseeds reliably and does not form "runners". There are not too many seedlings and I can transplant them. Cons; prefers moist soils. If you grow it in full sun, in clay, you need to keep it watered. I have it in high organic soils in partial shade and it does well without me watering it. It can get a little funky as the plant ages. It may truly be a long lived perennial. meaning it really only comes back 2 - 4 years. I am watching that in my garden. Milkweed aphids seem to really like this one. 4) Asclepias tuberosa- A.K.A butterfly weed, shorter milkweed up to 24 inches. Medium CGs Pros; good color, prefers drier sites. great nectar plant. Cons; does not do well in wet soils ( I have lost many to wet winters and springs). Because it is a dry prairie plant, the leaves do not contain as much moisture as other milkweeds. Caterpillars have to consume twice as much leaf material as on other milkweeds to grow the same amount. That is one reason mom will lay her eggs preferentially on other plants. Some of the others we have used are A. physocarpa (similar properties to A. curassavica), A. verticillata, A. purpurascens, A. viridis. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

That is one of the ones I am looking for. It's not really all that rare, just hard to find LOL most people don't even know what they are.. if you can get some seeds that would be great!!. Just so you know there is also another Carolina milkvine called Yellow Carolina Milkweed is the common name and botanical name is Matelea flavidula!! just gorgeous! I have a few people emailing me but I cannot answer you back as your email is hidden. so if you wanna talk please put your email inside the message please. To whom ever asked yes Tweedia is a climbing milkweed those little blue flowers are so pretty! Carol