About This Plant
This milkweed's large leaves and big, fragrant, long-lasting blossoms make it an excellent plant to host monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Because it attracts a lot of insects, it will attract birds that feed on them. Common milkweed spreads via seed and rhizomes and could become aggressive in small landscapes. This milkweed also has a long tap root, which makes it difficult to transplant once established, but drought resistant. As with other milkweeds, it may take a year or two to bloom when started from seed.
Plant Details
Environment
Attributes
- Plant Types
- Peak Bloom Seasons
- Leaf Retentions
- Growth Rates
- Mature Plant Heights
- Maximum Plant Width
- Bloom Colors
- Bloom Times
- Additional Features
Benefits
- Wildlife Benefits
Plant Facts
The hairy parts called “coma” of common milkweed seeds were used in making life jackets during WWII and goldfinches may line their nests with it. | Common milkweed has traditionally been used as a fiber source for making various goods by Native American populations.
Alternate Names
Common Silkweed, Milkweed, Silk Grass, Silky Swallow Wort, Virginian Silk
