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Prairie Milkweed
Asclepias sullivantii

a.k.a. Sullivant's Milkweed

Showy Milkweed has pink-purple flowers with long-star-like petals. They do not do well in shade but tolerate a range of soil types. Showy Milkweed spreads less aggressively than Common Milkweed. Attracts many pollinators and is a host plant for monarch larvae. Showy Milkweed has pink-purple flowers with long-star-like petals. They do not do well in shade but tolerate a range of soil types. Showy Milkweed spreads less aggressively than Common Milkweed. Attracts many pollinators and is a host plant for monarch larvae. Showy Milkweed has pink-purple flowers with long-star-like petals. They do not do well in shade but tolerate a range of soil types. Showy Milkweed spreads less aggressively than Common Milkweed. Attracts many pollinators and is a host plant for monarch larvae.

USDA symbol: ASSU3

General Information

Plant TypeForb
Height1 to 4 feet
Light ExposureSun
Soil MoistureMedium, Wet
Bloom ColorPink
Prairie Milkweed (Prairie Milkweed<div><em class="small">Asclepias sullivantii</em></div>)
Photo credit: Minnesota Wildflowers (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceModerate
General Resilience4
Salt ToleranceMedium
Stress ToleranceDrought Tolerant, Fire Tolerant

Pollinator Value: Very High

Bloom MonthsJune to August
Larval Host ofButterflies
Specific Pollinators HostedDanaus plexippus
Pollinator BenefitInsect Pollinated, Provides Nectar, Stem Nesting, Supports Generalists

Project Planning

Project TypeBoulevard, Rain Garden, Shoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism8
Herbivore SensitivityLow
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadSlow
Soil StabilizationDeep
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyBlue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Jackson, Martin, McLeod, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Rice, Sibley, Steele, Traverse, Waseca, Watonwan, Yellow Medicine
EcoregionDriftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands