California Milkweed
(Asclepias californica)

Host Plant: Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)

Nectar Plant: many insects including other butterflies, bees, and wasps.

Food Source: Birds and mammals

Flower Color: white, pink, lavender, green, purple, red, maroon, and violet

Growth Habit: herbaceous plant growing from 2′ to 4′ feet tall

Range in North America: California

Exposure: Prefers full sun

Hardiness: Zones 7-10

Flowering Time: March to July

Soil Requirements: Dry soil sandy soil, but can also handle clay

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Categories: Apocynaceae | Dogbane Family, Asclepias | Milkweeds, Plants Tags: Apocynaceae, Monarch, Nectar Plants, Perennial

California Milkweed (Asclepias californica)

Alternative Names

round-hood milkweed, California silkweed, woolly milkweed

Description of California Milkweed (Asclepias californica)

California Milkweed (Asclepias californica), a member of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows from 2′ to 4′ tall and blooms with white, pink, lavender, green, purple, red or violet flowers from spring to summer (March to July). The fruits, which are follicles, mature in the late summer and fall. More information can be found on this blog post about California Milkweed.

Hosted Species

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)

Queen Butterfly on Twig. — Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus) — Korall, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nectar Species

This species is used by other insects and is food for birds and mammals.

Habitat

This species grows in open areas such as grassy slopes, roadsides, pastures, woodlands, and disturbed places.

Range of California Milkweed (Asclepias californica) in the United States and Canada

Range map of California milkweed (Asclepias californica) in the United States and Canada. — Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (https://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

Interesting Facts

The genus name, Asclepias, is named for the Greek god of healing. The species name, californica, comes from Latin for the native ranges of the species.

location	California
usda-plant-hardiness	Zone 10, Zone 9
exposure_requirements	Full Sun, Part Shade/Part Sun
plant_habit	Shrub, Tree
soil_requirements	Dry, Medium, Moist
hosted-species	Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini), Papilio eurymedon (Pale Swallowtail), Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail), Satyrium californica (California Hairstreak)

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