›

Asclépiade commune

Port (adulte) - Circeus / Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 2.0 Canada

Couverture limitée

Asclépiade commune

Asclepias syriaca

Une asclépiade indigène à croissance en colonies, idéale pour les prairies ensoleillées, l'habitat des monarques et les grandes surfaces naturalisées.

Native: 27 US states + 2 CA provinces

Climate fit: broad (90/100)

Pollinator

Filler

Light

Full sun

Water

Low water

Mature size

36-60" tall · 24" apart

Hardy in zones

3a-9b

brutally cold to frosty winters

AHS heat range

1-11

Plant range authored in AHS heat-zone terms.

Native in Illinois

Yes

Related products

Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

›

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

›

Arizona Mountains forests

›

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

›

Blue Mountains forests

›

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

›

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

›

Central Tallgrass prairie

›

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

›

Chilean Matorral

›

Pollination

Self-fertile

Autofertile par son mécanisme, mais nécessite une pollinisation spécialisée par de grands insectes. Le pollen de l'Asclepias est conditionné en pollinies (sacs polliniques) qui s'accrochent aux bourdons, aux grandes abeilles solitaires, aux papillons monarques et aux grandes guêpes lors de leurs visites. Sans ces grands pollinisateurs spécifiques, la fructification est faible ; planter en regroupements et soutenir les populations d'abeilles indigènes est la condition pratique essentielle.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Specialist

Butterfly

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Larvae feed exclusively on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.); A. syriaca is one of the principal monarch host plants across eastern North America. The single most wedge-load-bearing wildlife relationship in the catalog.

Larval host

Specialist

Moth

Milkweed tussock moth (Euchaetes egle)

Tussock moth larvae often share milkweed plants with monarch caterpillars; both species depend on Asclepias.

Pollinates

Bee

American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

Bumble bees are documented effective Asclepias pollinators (they carry the pollinia); Lanterman Novotny 2023 ranks Asclepias among preferred Bombus plants. Genus-level inference for B. pensylvanicus.

Pollinates

Bee

Common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)

Large bumblebees are among the few insects strong enough to work the pollinia-loaded flowers effectively.

Pollinates

Bee

Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica)

Nectar forage

Butterfly

Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)

UW-Madison Horticulture names milkweed (Asclepias) among adult V. cardui nectar sources; common milkweed is the representative species.

Nectar forage

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

For people

Edible with preparation

Les jeunes pousses (de moins d'environ 8 inches), les boutons floraux immatures et les gousses immatures sont comestibles après cuisson à l'eau bouillante. La plante contient des glycosides cardiotoniques cardenolides qui ont un goût intensément amer dans les tissus matures et dont on pensait historiquement qu'ils nécessitaient plusieurs changements d'eau de cuisson — la littérature moderne sur la cueillette (Sam Thayer, The Forager Harvest, 2006) a démontré qu'une seule ébullition est suffisante pour A. syriaca et que la technique des changements multiples est inutile. D'autres espèces d'Asclepias sont plus toxiques ; A. syriaca est l'asclépiade comestible de référence.

Edible parts

young-shoots, flower-buds, immature-seed-pods

Toxic parts

mature-leaves, mature-stems, sap

Culinary use

Young shoots prepared like asparagus; flower buds added to stir-fries and pasta; immature seed pods sliced and used like okra. Flavor is mild and slightly sweet.

Preparation required

Boil 1-3 minutes; drain and use. Despite older folk advice, A. syriaca does NOT require multiple changes of boiling water (Thayer, 2006). Eat only the named parts at the named stages: young shoots before they reach 8 inches, flower buds before the flowers open, and immature seed pods before the silk inside turns silky.

Lookalike warning

Young milkweed shoots can be mistaken for dogbane (Apocynum) shoots; dogbane is significantly more toxic and bitter. Distinguishing features: milkweed sap is sticky-white and the stems are usually round, while dogbane has more branched stems and reddish coloration at the base. When in doubt, do not harvest.

Foraging context

Wild populations are abundant across the eastern and central United States; the plant is the obligate host of the monarch butterfly, so harvest selectively — leave plenty for the monarchs.

Traditional medicinal use

Traditional use of milkweed root and latex by Indigenous peoples of eastern North America (Cherokee, Iroquois, Menominee, and others) for external wart and skin treatments; modern internal use of the latex is dangerous due to cardiac-glycoside content.

Appears in collections

+4

Collection · 8 plantes

Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)

A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern North American natives with broad hardiness ranges and wide native distributions. Built for gardeners who want a planting that can handle warming zones without giving up wildlife value.

Switchgrass

Little bluestem

Common milkweed

Black-eyed Susan

Wild bergamot

Sweet Joe-Pye weed

Cutleaf coneflower

New England aster

+5

Collection · 9 plantes

Native pollinator border (eastern US)

A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.

Butterfly weed

Common milkweed

Purple coneflower

Wild bergamot

Scarlet bee balm

Little bluestem

Sweet Joe-Pye weed

Swamp sunflower

Smooth blue aster

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Asclépiade commune (Asclepias syriaca). Retrieved 2026, June 14, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/asclepias-syriaca

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Open source

Source guide

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 2.0 Canada

Backs 1 field

Image

Open source

Source guide

Asclépiade commune

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Appears in collections

Sources & citations