Intro: Erect to ascending perennial found in barrens, sandhills, dry woodlands and on thin soils of rock outcrops, especially mafic rocks.

Stems: Stem solitary, branched in upper portions, bearing vertical lines of hairs above; leaks milky sap when bruised.

Leaves: Leaves in whorls of 3-6 (though opposite at some nodes), linear, 1-3 in. long, with margins noticeably rolled downward, sparsely hairy.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers in small dense terminal and upper axillary umbels, white to greenish-white, about 1/3 in. long, consisting of 5 strongly reflexed green-suffused-with-purple corolla lobes and a whitish central crown--composed of 5 2-parted appendages ("hood" and "horn")--surrounding a complex structure of fused anthers and style.

Fruits: Fruit a narrowly spindle-shaped, erect follicle containing tufted seeds.

Comments:

Height: 8-24 in.

plant sale text: Whorled milkweed is an attractive plant that is infrequently offered for sale by nurseries. Its white flowers and fine textured foliage make it a desirable garden plant and its predilection for thin soils makes it very drought tolerant. Over time, it can spread by rhizomes to form a nice clump. Milkweeds are best known as the larval host plants for Monarch caterpillars but they're also popular with butterfly gardeners because they attract many pollinators and beneficial insects with their nectar. We've read that this species is more toxic than some of the other milkweeds and may be unattractive to deer.

bloom table text:

description: Erect to ascending perennial found in barrens, sandhills, dry woodlands and on thin soils of rock outcrops, especially mafic rocks.

stems: Stem solitary, branched in upper portions, bearing vertical lines of hairs above; leaks milky sap when bruised.

leaves: Leaves in whorls of 3-6 (though opposite at some nodes), linear, 1-3 in. long, with margins noticeably rolled downward, sparsely hairy.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers in small dense terminal and upper axillary umbels, white to greenish-white, about 1/3 in. long, consisting of 5 strongly reflexed green-suffused-with-purple corolla lobes and a whitish central crown--composed of 5 2-parted appendages ("hood" and "horn")--surrounding a complex structure of fused anthers and style.

fruits: Fruit a narrowly spindle-shaped, erect follicle containing tufted seeds.

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern North America