Michaux’s Milkweed
Asclepias michauxii Decne.
A slender pine-flatwoods milkweed of the coastal plain with very narrow leaves and small dusky pink-green flowers, dependent on regular fire to keep its habitat open.
Also called Southern Milkweed.
- Height
- 8 in–1.7 ft
- Spread
- 8 in–1.3 ft
- Flowers
- pink, green
- Bloom
- April to July
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry, Average
- USDA zones
- 7–10
- Leaves
- Opposite, threadlike
- Sap
- Milky latex
- Roots
- Deep taproot, resents transplanting
- Stratification
- 30 days cold-moist
- Range
- 5 states
When it flowers
Michaux’s Milkweed blooms April to July, peaking in May.
How to identify it
- Narrow, almost grass-like opposite leaves on a short upright stem.
- Small flowers in a loose terminal cluster, dull pink over green.
- Found in frequently burned pine flatwoods and savanna.
Ecology and wildlife value
A fire-dependent species that declines quickly where prescribed burning stops.
Growing michaux’s milkweed
Rarely cultivated.
Seed needs about 30 days of cold-moist stratification. Deep taproot, resents transplanting. See how to plant milkweed seed for the full method.
Cautions
Standard milkweed cautions. More on milkweed toxicity.
Where michaux’s milkweed grows
Recorded in 5 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina.
Distribution is generalized to state level. For county-level maps see USDA PLANTS and BONAP.
References and further reading
Names, ranges and conservation status here are drawn from the databases below. Where those disagree with a regional flora, trust the flora.
- Plants of the World Online 94453-1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accepted name, authorship and global distribution.
- GBIF 3170238. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Aggregated occurrence records.
- iNaturalist 158750. Community observations, photographs and phenology.
- Wikipedia. General-audience article on this species.
- BONAP county distribution map. Biota of North America Program. County-level range map.
- NatureServe Explorer. Conservation status ranks at global and state level.
- World Flora Online. Nomenclature and synonymy.
- Woodson, R. E. (1954). The North American species of Asclepias L.. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 41(1): 1–211. The monograph the modern taxonomy of the genus still rests on. View
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.) (2026). Flora of North America North of Mexico. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford. Accepted names, keys and descriptions for the North American flora. View
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2026). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Nomenclature and global distribution, keyed to IPNI name identifiers. View
- Kartesz, J. T. (Biota of North America Program) (2026). North American Plant Atlas. BONAP, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. County-level distribution maps, the basis for the ranges generalized here. View
- USDA, NRCS (2026). The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, North Carolina. State-level distribution, wetland status and nomenclature. View
- Agrawal, A. A. (2017). Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution. Princeton University Press. The standard general account of the milkweed and monarch relationship. View
Cite this page
This page is licensed CC BY 4.0. Quote it, adapt it and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you credit Milkweed USA and link back.
Milkweed USA. (2026). Michaux’s Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/species/michauxs-milkweed/
"Michaux’s Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/species/michauxs-milkweed/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Michaux’s Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/species/michauxs-milkweed/.
@misc{milkweedusa_speciesmichauxsmilkweed,
title = {Michaux’s Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/species/michauxs-milkweed/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}