Swamp Milkweed

Scientific Name: Asclepias incarnata

Order: Gentianales

Family: Apocynaceae

Type: Perennial

Endangered Status: Least concern

Number of Recorded Individuals at the Zoo: 508

Swamp milkweed is a medium-height perennial with light pink umbel flowers that bloom in mid to late summer; lance-shaped foliage; and milky white sap within its stems. This full-sun plant prefers to grow in moist to wet soils, so it works well for wet spots along a sunny boarder or rain gardens and is the only milkweed species that prefers wetlands over prairies. This plant grows horizontal rhizomatous roots that can form connected plant colonies. Milkweed is a preferred larval host for monarch butterflies and a source of nectar for birds and many insects.

Native Range
Eastern North America

USDA Hardiness Zone
3–9

Average Mature Height
4 feet

Flower Color
Pink

Flowering Months
July–September

Supports
Butterflies and birds