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Showy Milkweed

Asclepias speciosa

The West's answer to common milkweed, with velvety leaves and big star-studded pink flower balls. A premier monarch host that spreads by rhizome. Flower buds, young shoots, and immature seed pods are cooked like other milkweeds; sources disagree on whether the shoots are safe raw, so cooking is the safer default.

Family

Apocynaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–3 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June, July, August, September

Bloom colors

pink, green, purple

Wildlife value

butterflies, hummingbirds, larval host, monarch host

Caterpillar hosts

~12 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border, erosion control, naturalizing

Native states

AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY