Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly Weed
Image Source: Butterfly Weed

Latin name: Asclepias tuberosa
Common name: Butterfly Weed
Flowers: Vibrant orange umbels that produce colored follicles if left.3
Fruit or cones: Ornamental follicles
Height & Width: 1’x1.5’3
Type: Herbaceous16
Wetland indicator category**: Not available17
Texture: Coarse16
Growth rate: Initially slow, medium when established.3
Light: Full sun3
Moisture: Low16
Soil*: Course to medium soils16
Zones: 4-93
Origin: Eastern North America16
Features: Asclepias is more commonly known as Butterfly Weed as it attracts a multitude of butterflies. The flowers can range from deep orange to almost red and form in bright small flowered umbels.3

Siting: Optimally planted in well drained soils, Butterfly Weed is very well suited to the Piedmont region of South Carolina16. It tolerates full sun and should be located where it receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. This plant has an exceptionally long taproot making transplanting very difficult once established. It is recommended that transplanting once established is not attempted as it may kill the plant3.

Care: Plant in suitable site with adequate soil organic matter so that the crown of the plant is at the soil surface18. Ensure the soil is adequately moist immediately after planting. Keep soil moist but not soggy until plant is established. Once plant is established water deeply but infrequently whenever the soil surface is dry or almost dry 2” below the soil surface18.

Pests: This species is resistant to most disease and insects found in the Piedmont. Crown rot has been found when planted in wet, poorly drained soils.3

Author: Susie Lombardo, Editor: Alexander Smolka

Sources

  1. Armitage, A. (2001). Armitage’s manual of annuals, biennials, and half-hardy perennials. Portland, OR: Timber Press.
  2. Armitage, A. (2006). Armitage’s native plants for North American gardens. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
  3. Armitage, A. (2008). Herbaceous perennial plants: A treatise on their identification, culture, and garden attributes. Athens, GA: University of Geogia.
  4. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Flowers fact sheets. Retrieved from https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/ 
  5. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Groundcovers & vines fact sheets. Retrieved from https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/groundcovers/ 
  6. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center. (2011). Trees. Retrieved from https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/trees/ 
  7. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Shrubs. Retrieved from https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/shrubs/ 
  8. Dirr, M. A. (2009). Manual of woody landscape plants. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing.
  9. Gilman, E. F. (1997). Trees for urban and suburban landscapes. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
  10. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center University of Texas at Austin. (2012). Native plant information network. Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/explore/ 
  11. McMillan, P., Plant taxonomist Clemson University, personal communication.
  12. Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening. Plant finder. Retrieved from http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Alpha.asp 
  13. North Carolina State University (2005). Plant fact sheets. Retrieved from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/index.html 
  14. Strother, E. V., Ham, D. L., Gilland, L. (2003) Urban tree species guide: Choosing the right tree for the right place. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Forestry Commission.
  15. University of Florida, IFAS Extension. (2011). Southern trees fact sheet. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_envhort-trees 
  16. USDA. Plant profile. (n/d).Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/ 
  17. USDA. Plant wetland indicator status. (n/d). Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/wetland.html 
  18. Vincent, E., Environmental horticulturist Clemson University, personal communication
  19. Clemson Extension. Carolina Yards Plant Database. Retrieved from https://www.clemson.edu/extension/carolinayards/plant-database/index.html