12/11/2023 0 Comments Asclepias seedlingsparadoxa, Ratibida pinnata), asters, liatris, many ornamental grasses, and many other plants with informal habits. It combines well with other milkweeds, coneflowers ( Echinacea purpurea, E. Because it has thin stems and an open form it looks best mixed with other tall plants, so its flowers peek out from among the other foliage and flowers.Īsclepias curassavica is attractive to butterflies This milkweed is a good addition to perennial borders, cottage gardens, or meadow gardens. The seedpods of Asclepias curassavica open contain stacks of flat seeds that have silky hairs to aid in dispersal. The intact pods can be dried to use in ornamental arrangements. Wind disperses the seeds, which float easily with the attached plumes. Each seed has a pappus of fine, white silky hairs on one end. These eventually split open lengthwise to reveal ovate, flat seeds stacked in 2 rows. syriaca.Ī monarch butterfly (L), honeybee (C) and rubythroated hummingbird (R) visit Asclepias curassavica flowers.įollowing the flowers, spindle-shaped pods 3-4” long are produced. They have a higher survival rate and shorter developmental time on A. The striped caterpillars seem to prefer this species over many of the native species in our area that have tougher leaves. Monarch butterflies use this species as a host plant. The flowers are very attractive to butterflies, bees and other insects, as well as hummingbirds. The long stems are excellent for cutting and the flowers have a long vaselife. They bloom continuously from spring to fall in temperate climates and in tropical climates may be in flower at any time of the year. Plants will bloom at 4 months old or younger. The flower clusters are 2-4” across with 6-15 flowers in each group. curassavica flowers the corolla is typically red and the corona orange, and this species is unique in having reflexed corolla lobes. The showy red and orange flowers of Asclepias curassavica ‘Deep Red’. The pollen aggregates into masses called pollinia. In addition to the normal calyx (ring of 5 sepals) and corolla (ring of 5 petals) that other plant flowers have, milkweeds also have a corona that looks like an extra set of petals facing toward the center of the flower, like a crown. The showy orange and red flowers are borne in rounded terminal and axillary clusters (umbellate cymes). They are medium green and sometimes have white midribs. The narrow leaves are 5-6” long and pointed at both ends. The plants grow 3-4 feet tall, with simple or branched stems. This erect, evergreen perennial subshrub has opposite leaves and milky sap like most plants in the milkweed family (the sap is a skin irritant and the plant is poisonous if ingested). In tropical and subtropical regions it can be a weed in pastures, fields, along roadsides and in disturbed areas. It is hardy in zones 8b -11, remains evergreen to zone 9b, and is often grown as a frost-tender annual in temperate areas. Although it exact origin is unknown, its species name reflects the place where the first specimens were likely collected, Curaçao, in the southern Caribbean. It is now found worldwide in the tropics. With numerous common names including tropical milkweed, bloodflower, scarlet milkweed, sunset flower and silkweed, Asclepias curassavica is an interesting member of the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae) thought to be native to the Caribbean, South America, Central America or Mexico. I'm concerned that these young seedlings will be too small to have a chance of survival.Asclepias curassavica growing with ornamental grasses. Or, another way to ask the question, is, how large does an asclepius tuberosa seedling have to be to survive a northern winter? My intuition is telling me that the plant would need to be large enough to have stored up enough energy in its root to make it through a long winter. Which is the better plan forward? Should I overwinter them indoors, in a bright window with grow lights, let them grow much larger, and place them outside in the spring? Or, should I leave them outside, to overwinter as tiny plants, with reasonable expectation that most will survive? I don't know how quickly these little plants will grow, but I'm worried that they won't be large enough by the time cold weather comes to survive the winter. The larger ones have multiple sets of leaves, now, and the smallest ones are just emerging in late July. Instead, most of them have sprouted vigorously and I now have numerous, healthy seedlings. I figured they would sprout in the spring. Because I made no attempt to stratify them, I assumed that few if any would sprout, and I would let the cold winter temperatures stratify them naturally. This was in July in zone 6, Pennsylvania. I decided to start about a dozen asclepias tuberosa in small pots, outside.
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