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Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) |
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Asclepias syriaca The flowers of the Purple Milkweed are redder and darker than those of Common Milkweed. The leaves of Common Milkweed are covered with fine hair and are more blunt at their apices. The seedpod of Common Milkweed is covered with pointed projections, but the pod of Purple Milkweed lacks these projections. Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) Identification: Flower color varying between rusty-red to magenta, arranged in rounded clusters near the apex of the plant. Family with a distinctive flower consisting of 4 petals hanging downward and a crown of 5 incurved horns. Fruit an elongate, downy, pointed pod containing flattened seeds topped with silken parachutes. Leaves and stems with milky sap. Leaves broad, in opposite pairs, elongate, smooth (not downy), with a tapering, pointed tip. Plant 2 to 3 feet in height. Distribution: Most of eastern North America except for Florida. West to the Great Plains States. Habitat: Purple Milkweed is found in woods and thickets. Flowering period: June to July.
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Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)
Similar Species: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
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Similar Species |
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