Asclepias lanceolata (Few-flowered Milkweed)

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APOCYNACEAE

Asclepias lanceolata Walter. Common name: Few-flowered Milkweed, Smooth Orange Milkweed. Phenology: Jan-Dec; Jan-Dec. Habitat: Swamps, fresh to slightly brackish marshes, wet pine savannas. Distribution: NJ south to s. FL, west to e. TX.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Fl5, FNA14, GW2, K4, RAB, S, Tx, Va, WH3, Woodson (1954); > Asclepias lanceolata Walter var. lanceolata — F, G, Tat; > Asclepias lanceolata Walter var. paupercula (Michx.) Fernald — F, G, Tat. Basionym: Asclepias lanceolata Walter 1788

Links to other floras: = Asclepias lanceolata - FNA14

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Wetland Indicator Status:

Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL

Heliophily ⓘ: 7

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Horticultural Information

Intro: Erect perennial of swamps, fresh to slightly brackish marshes and wet pine savannas.

Stems: Stem slender, unbranched, reddish-tinged and smooth; leaks milky sap when bruised.

Leaves: Leaves opposite, short-petioled, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, 4-10 in. long, thick and firm, smooth; leak milky sap when bruised.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers in somewhat sparse terminal umbels, reddish-orange, about 3/4 in. long, consisting of 5 strongly reflexed corolla lobes and a lighter-colored central crown--composed of 5 2-parted appendages ("hood" and "horn")--surrounding a complex structure of fused anthers and style.

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

Comments:

Height: 2-3 ft.

plant sale text: You may overlook the few-flower milkweed with its slender foliage, but once it blooms, the red-orange flowers really pop! Few-flower milkweed naturally occurs as an understory herb in open freshwater wetlands and pinelands. This is not a drought tolerant milkweed as it requires continually moist soils. It prefers poor nutrient soils, so don't over fertilize. Add this to your butterfly or wildflower garden, because it is a host plant for monarch larvae and a nectar source for adult butterflies. It is a good choice for a bog garden.

bloom table text:

description: Erect perennial of swamps, fresh to slightly brackish marshes and wet pine savannas.

stems: Stem slender, unbranched, reddish-tinged and smooth; leaks milky sap when bruised.

leaves: Leaves opposite, short-petioled, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, 4-10 in. long, thick and firm, smooth; leak milky sap when bruised.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers in somewhat sparse terminal umbels, reddish-orange, about 3/4 in. long, consisting of 5 strongly reflexed corolla lobes and a lighter-colored central crown--composed of 5 2-parted appendages ("hood" and "horn")--surrounding a complex structure of fused anthers and style.

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

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Horticultural Information