# Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)

> Unmistakable once you have seen it: wavy-edged blue-green leaves clasping directly around the stem, and a single long bare stalk lifting one rounded cluster of dusty pink-green flowers well clear of the foliage.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/species/clasping-milkweed/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Summary

Unmistakable once you have seen it: wavy-edged blue-green leaves clasping directly around the stem, and a single long bare stalk lifting one rounded cluster of dusty pink-green flowers well clear of the foliage.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias amplexicaulis Sm. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Clasping Milkweed, Blunt-leaved Milkweed, Sand Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1.5 ft–3 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | pink, green, mauve |
| Bloom period | May to July |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 3-9 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | clasping |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 4 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 3 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia |

## Identification

- Leaf bases wrap around the stem with no stalk at all.
- Leaf margins are strongly wavy and the surface is smooth and waxy.
- One flower cluster per stem on a long naked peduncle.
- Almost always in dry sand or sandy loam.

## Ecology

A sandy-soil specialist of pine barrens, old fields and oak savanna. Blooms early, giving returning monarchs a host before common milkweed is ready.

## Growing

Needs sand and sun; will not tolerate rich, moist beds. Handsome foliage all season.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60445583-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170332
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47910
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_amplexicaulis
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20amplexicaulis.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20amplexicaulis

## Photographs

- Asclepias amplexicaulis leaves (Choess, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis_leaves.JPG
- Asclepias amplexicaulis Blue Ridge (Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis_Blue_Ridge.jpg
- Asclepias amplexicaulis (14329407319) (Fritz Flohr Reynolds, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis_(14329407319).jpg
- Asclepias amplexicaulis (19733015086) ([https://www.flickr.com/photos/wackybadger/ Joshua Mayer (wackybadger), CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis_(19733015086).jpg
- Asclepias amplexicaulis (19752004992) (Joshua Mayer (wackybadger), CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis_(19752004992).jpg
- Asclepias amplexicaulis (cassi saari, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_amplexicaulis.jpg
- Photographing Asclepias amplexicaulis at Nachusa Grasslands (cassi saari, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photographing_Asclepias_amplexicaulis_at_Nachusa_Grasslands.jpg
- Clasping MIlkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) - 19752025302 (wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clasping_MIlkweed_(Asclepias_amplexicaulis)_-_19752025302.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis). https://milkweedusa.com/species/clasping-milkweed/