Asclepias syriaca.
Asclepias incarnata. Asclepias tuberosa.
Growing Asclepias tuberosa: the orange milkweed
A
sclepias tuberosa is a plant that hates to be pampered. It grows best in rocky, well drained, dry soils. Sow it
in late August to give it a good start for the coming year. It can take time to establish if it is not happy, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t bloom the first year. And the monarchs won’t care. They will lay the eggs on the leaves just the same. Once established, A. tuberosa will self-sow and they
are not attractive to deer or rabbits, but the flowers will attract many other butterflies and hummingbirds. They have a long blooming period from late spring and through the summer. It was also known as the pleurisy plant because its roots
were used to treat lung inflammations. It has expectorant properties and was used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and acute and chronic rheumatism. It was part of the Ameri- can pharmacopoeia for much of the past century. This is a very showy plant when in bloom, with umbels of brilliant orange flowers set off by yellow centres.
The amazing story of the milkweed pollinium M
ilkweed pollen is unlike other pollen except that produced by orchids.
Both milkweed and orchids produce pollen that binds
together into a mass connected by a membrane originating from a single anther. When a pollinator visits the flower, instead of a few random grains of pollen, it picks up and transports all the grains as a single unit, that are joined in pairs by a small, black, grooved structure. Rich in nectar, the milkweed flowers are irresistible to
the pollinator, whose leg may slip into the a vertical slit between the pollen sacs. When it tries to free itself, it takes the pollinium with it and deposits it in the next flower. The pollinia look like little gold chains attached to the insects as they go about their business. Sometimes, the act of pulling free doesn’t work and the
insect is trapped to lose a leg or even its life. A close exami- nation of milkweed flowers will often reveal dead insects.
20 • Early Spring 2014 Monarch caterpillars are quite distinct and easy to spot in the garden.
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Asclepias curassavica. Asclepias purpurascens. Asclepias sullivantii. In spite of this, there are many ornamental varieties that are
much less intimidating. Asclepias incarnata, also known as swamp milkweed. This
variety is not invasive and is very attractive to monarchs, bees and a variety of other insects and butterflies. It grows 40 to 60 inches tall. It likes a damp location in full sun to part shade and does well in clay or heavy soils. ‘Ice Ballet’ has vanilla-scented, pure white flowers and green leaves. ‘Cinderella’ has two-inch, pale pink, vanilla-scented flowers opening from dark pink buds. Cut flowers are long lasting in both fresh and dried bouquets. Asclepias tuberosa, grows one to three feet tall with orange
or yellow flowers. It contains no latex. Native to eastern North America, it prefers dry, sand or gravel soil in full sun. This is a tidy little plant with very sweet nectar and is much favoured by both butterflies and hummingbirds. Asclepias curassavica, also known as tropical milkweed, has red
flowers with orange stamens. It grows one metre (three feet) tall and has pale gray leaves. It flowers continuously through- out summer. Also attracts hummingbirds. Grow this one as an annual as it is perennial only in zones 9 to 11. Asclepias purpurascens, purple milkweed, has deep red to
purple flowers. It is native to Carolinian Canada and grows two to three feet tall in full sun in meadows, fields and prairies. Asclepias sullivantii, Prairie Milkweed, is not invasive. It
prefers full sun in light or sandy soil On the endangered species list, it is native to southern Ontario. Pink flower clusters grow on two feet to five feet tall stems. Asclepias speciosa, showy milkweed, has star-shaped flowers growing loosely in umbels. It can be invasive. q
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