← Bedfellow

Green Comet Milkweed

Asclepias viridiflora

Green comet milkweed bears rounded clusters of subtle green flowers on prairies, glades, and dry barrens. A drought-hardy, well-behaved monarch host for lean soils. Like other milkweeds, the root has flavored soups, and the young shoots, flower buds, and immature pods are cooked as vegetables — thoroughly, never raw.

Family

Apocynaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–2 ft

Spacing

1–2 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

June, July, August, September

Bloom colors

yellow, green

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies, monarch host, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~12 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV, WY