# Pinewoods Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata)

> One of the most beautiful foliage plants in the genus: sprawling stems of thick blue-gray clasping leaves veined in bright pink, lying flat on white sand under longleaf pine, topped with pale pink-white flowers in spring.

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

## Summary

One of the most beautiful foliage plants in the genus: sprawling stems of thick blue-gray clasping leaves veined in bright pink, lying flat on white sand under longleaf pine, topped with pale pink-white flowers in spring.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias humistrata Walter |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Pinewoods Milkweed, Sandhill Milkweed, Purple Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 8 in–2 ft |
| Spread | 1.5 ft–3 ft |
| Flower color | pink, white |
| Bloom period | March to June |
| Light | Full sun, Part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 7-10 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | clasping |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | None required |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 5 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 3 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina |

## Identification

- Leaves waxy blue-gray with vivid pink or magenta veins, and unmistakable for it.
- Stems lie flat along the ground, radiating from a central taproot.
- Grows only in deep dry sand, typically in longleaf pine sandhill.
- Blooms very early, from March.

## Ecology

The single most important spring monarch host in the Southeast’s sandhill country, and heavily used by the returning migration as it crosses Florida and Georgia.

## Growing

Needs pure sand and full sun; impossible in heavy soil. Fresh seed germinates without stratification.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94346-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170319
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/128756
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_humistrata
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20humistrata.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20humistrata

## Photographs

- Asclepias humistrata (ggallice, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716275 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716275.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716282 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716282.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716288 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716288.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716321 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716321.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716298 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716298.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 269716754 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_269716754.jpg
- Asclepias humistrata 260660145 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_humistrata_260660145.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Pinewoods Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata). https://milkweedusa.com/species/pinewoods-milkweed/