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Sullivant's Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) |
Color Photograph: Norman Melvin, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Color Photograph: Larry Allain, U.S. Geological Survey
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Asclepias syriaca Sullivant's Milkweed is easily mistaken for Common Milkweed. However the leaves of Common Milkweed are covered with a fine, downy hairs and the pods are rough with numberous pointed projections. Sullivant's Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) Identification: Flowers dull rose to lavender in color, arranged in a rounded cluster near the top of the plant. Family with a distinctive flower consisting of 4 petals hanging downward and a crown of 5 incurved horns. Fruit an elongate, pointed pod containing flattened seeds topped with silken parachutes. Pod smooth without small, pointed projections. Leaves and stems with milky sap. Leaves broad, in opposite pairs, nearly rectangular, smooth, without downy hair. Plants 2 to 5 feet in height. Distribution: A species of the western part of Eastern North America from the Great Plains states, Minnesota and southern Ontario southward to Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Ohio. Habitat: Sullivant's Milkweed is a species of wet fields and prairies. Flowering period: June to July.
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Sullivant's Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii)
Similar Species: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) |
Similar Species
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