woodland wildflower

Whorled milkweed

Asclepias verticillata

Also known as Eastern Whorled Milkweed

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Massachusetts to Montana, south to Florida and eastern Texas; also southern Canada

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry Moisture preference
Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
Bloom May–Sep Flowering time
Height up to 3 ft to 0.9 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for full sun to part shade and lean, dry soil. Its white and green flowers peak in July. At up to 3 ft, it suits shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–10.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Whorled milkweed's white and green flowers bloom May to September, peaking in July. This midsummer display draws bees and butterflies.

Whorled milkweed blooms white & greenFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +47 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bombus fervidus, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Sculptured Resin Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Southern Plains Bumble Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Bristle Sweat Bee, Slender-faced Masked Bee, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Deep-blue Sweat Bee, Viereck's Sweat Bee, Nude Mining Bee, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Hylaeus affinis, Carinate Armored-Resin bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Obliterated Nomad, Illinois Sweat Bee, Big-cheeked Angled-Mason, Broad-faced Masked Bee, white-winged sweat bee, Ceylalictus variegatus, Protandrena cockerelli, Sphecodes heraclei heraclei, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Coelioxys alternata, Colletes compactus, Forbes's Sweat Bee, Sunflower Shortface, Xenoglossa strenua, Augochlora feronia, Coelioxys brevis, Tetragona dissecta, Megachile integra, Sphecodes dichrous, Cresson's Cuckoo Sweat Bee, Norton's Alkali Bee
Butterflies Monarch

also Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Pearl Crescent +20 more
Silver-spotted Skipper, Pipevine Swallowtail, Gray Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Variegated Fritillary, Queen, Spicebush Swallowtail, Viceroy, Red-banded Hairstreak, Tawny-edged Skipper, Common Sootywing, Bronze Copper, Striated Queen, Karner Blue, Mastor vialis, Papilio cresphontes, Speyeria cybele, Polites coras, Elkalyce comyntas, Anosia plexippus
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Transverse-banded Flower Fly, Oblique Streaktail, Thick-legged Hover Fly +14 more
Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Wavy Mucksucker, Broad-headed Marsh Fly, Exoprosopa fasciata, Common Flower Fly, Yellow-legged Bog Fly, Poecilognathus sulphurea, Two-spotted Leafwalker, Tropidia quadrata, White-haired Pithead, Paragus bicolor, Sphaerophoria cylindricus, grasshopper bee fly, Maize Calligrapher
Also visited by
- Beetles:
  
  Red Milkweed Beetle, Goldenrod Soldier Beetle +7 more
  Yellow-horned Flower Longhorn Beetle, Slender Flower Longhorn Beetle, Notch-tipped Flower Longhorn Beetle, Onthophagus pennsylvanicus, Typocerus lunulatus, Chlorophorus glaucus, Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus
- Wasps:
  
  Bald-faced Hornet, Eastern Yellowjacket +7 more
  Fraternal Potter Wasp, Common Aerial Yellowjacket, Ancistrocerus catskill, European tube wasp, Odynerus arvensis, Odynerus foraminatus, Vespula vidua
- Moths:
  
  Green Cloverworm Moth, Yellow-collared Scape Moth +6 more
  Ipsilon Dart Moth, Garden Webworm Moth, Celery Looper Moth, Eastern Grass-veneer, Unexpected Cycnia Moth, Common Looper Moth

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (38): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Canada (3): MB, ON, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Massachusetts to Montana, south to Florida and eastern Texas; also southern CanadaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–10 · Canadian 3–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Sandy, clayey or rocky soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Water use: LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.

Growth & form

Height: up to 3 ft (to 0.9 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: May–SepWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, GreenThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Follicle (seed pod); ripens Aug–OctThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.