Location: Cottage Garden Design, Xeriscape Bed, and Wildlife Bed Design
Names:
- Common Name: Mexican Butterfly Weed
- Botanical Name: Asclepias tuberosa
- AKA: Butterflyweed, Butterfly Weed, Butterfly Milkweed, Orange Milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger Flower
Description: This bushy, 1 1/2-2 ft. perennial is prized for its large, flat-topped clusters of bright-orange flowers. The leaves are mostly alternate, 1 1/2-2 1/4 inches long, pointed, and smooth on the edge. The yellow-orange to bright orange flower clusters, 2-5 inches across, are at the top of the flowering stem. The abundance of stiff, lance-shaped foliage provides a dark-green backdrop for the showy flower heads.
Best Growing Conditions: Full Sun or Partial Shade; Low Water Demand; Dry or Moist Soil; High Drought Tolerance
Landscape Use: Deer Resistant, Rock Garden
Wildlife Value: Bees, Birds (specifically Hummingbirds), Butterflies (nectar source and larval food source)