# Engelmann’s Milkweed (Asclepias engelmanniana)

> A tall, sparse, almost skeletal prairie milkweed with long drooping linear leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers. It looks fragile and is anything but, with a taproot that goes deep into sandy plains soil.

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

## Summary

A tall, sparse, almost skeletal prairie milkweed with long drooping linear leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers. It looks fragile and is anything but, with a taproot that goes deep into sandy plains soil.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias engelmanniana Woodson |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Engelmann’s Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 2 ft–5 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | green, yellow |
| Bloom period | June to August |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 4-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | alternate |
| Leaf shape | narrow |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 2 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming |

## Identification

- Very long, narrow, drooping alternate leaves on a tall slender stem.
- Small greenish-yellow flowers in loose clusters from the upper leaf axils.
- Distinctly gaunt outline compared with other plains milkweeds.

## Ecology

A sandhills and shortgrass species used by monarchs during the fall migration through the central flyway.

## Growing

Rarely cultivated. Needs deep sand and full exposure.

## Cautions

Standard narrow-leaf milkweed toxicity.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:290400-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170267
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158738
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_engelmanniana
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20engelmanniana.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20engelmanniana

## Photographs

- Asclepias engelmanniana - scevola augustin 02 (scevola_augustin, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_engelmanniana_-_scevola_augustin_02.jpg
- Asclepias engelmanniana - scevola augustin 01 (scevola_augustin, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_engelmanniana_-_scevola_augustin_01.jpg
- Asclepias engelmanniana - scevola augustin 03 (scevola_augustin, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_engelmanniana_-_scevola_augustin_03.jpg
- Asclepias engelmanniana - scevola augustin 04 (scevola_augustin, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_engelmanniana_-_scevola_augustin_04.jpg
- Asclepias engelmanniana - Scott Allen Davis 01 (Scott Allen Davis, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_engelmanniana_-_Scott_Allen_Davis_01.jpg
- Engelmann’s Milkweed photographed in Texas, US (Public domain (CC0), CC0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/220272868
- Engelmann’s Milkweed photographed in Longmont, CO, US (Jess Mullins, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52210011
- Engelmann’s Milkweed photographed in US-180, Lamesa, TX, US (samlutfy, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/58794482

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Engelmann’s Milkweed (Asclepias engelmanniana). https://milkweedusa.com/species/engelmanns-milkweed/