Genus
Asclepias
The Asclepias genus in the Plotwright catalog — 3 species: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed. Open any for hardiness, native range, wildlife value, and growing guidance.
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed
A clump-forming native milkweed with bright orange summer flowers, strong pollinator value, and tolerance for dry sunny sites.
Asclepias syriaca
Common milkweed
A native, colony-forming milkweed for sunny pollinator meadows, monarch habitat, and larger naturalized areas.
Asclepias incarnata
Swamp milkweed
A more refined garden-behaved cousin of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) — same monarch host status and ecological value, but clumping rather than aggressively spreading, well-suited to rain gardens and consistently moist sites. Pink fragrant flower clusters from mid-summer through early fall; 2005 NC Wildflower of the Year. NC State tags Poisonous (cardiac glycosides) — the same toxicity that makes monarch caterpillars unpalatable to vertebrate predators.