# Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)

> The woodland milkweed. Tall and slender with broad thin leaves like pokeweed, carrying loose, drooping clusters of green-and-white flowers that hang like small chandeliers along a shaded forest edge.

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

## Summary

The woodland milkweed. Tall and slender with broad thin leaves like pokeweed, carrying loose, drooping clusters of green-and-white flowers that hang like small chandeliers along a shaded forest edge.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias exaltata L. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Poke Milkweed, Tall Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 3 ft–6 ft |
| Spread | 1.5 ft–2.5 ft |
| Flower color | white, green |
| Bloom period | June to July |
| Light | Part shade, Shade |
| Soil moisture | Average |
| USDA zones | 3-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 4 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 4 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia |

## Identification

- Grows in shade and dappled woodland, which no other milkweed reliably does.
- Flower clusters are loose and pendulous, with widely spaced flowers on long stalks.
- Petals green-tinged white, reflexed sharply back from pure white hoods.
- Leaves broad, thin, pointed at both ends, on distinct stalks.

## Ecology

The only significant monarch host in eastern woodland habitats, and it hybridises occasionally with common milkweed where the two meet in clearings.

## Growing

Genuinely useful for shady gardens. Give it part shade, humus-rich moist soil and, if possible, no competition from tree roots. Well behaved and clump-forming.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## Questions

**Is there a milkweed that grows in shade?**

Poke milkweed (A. exaltata) is the one. It grows at woodland edges and in dappled shade across the eastern states. Fourleaf milkweed (A. quadrifolia) is a smaller second option for dry woodland.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94266-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170307
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/125386
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_exaltata
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20exaltata.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20exaltata

## Photographs

- Asclepias exaltata flower (Dcharris555, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_flower.jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (2985661678) (homeredwardprice, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(2985661678).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (4804174527) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(4804174527).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (4804173691) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(4804173691).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (4804165729) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(4804165729).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (7487165508) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(7487165508).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (7487169598) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(7487169598).jpg
- Asclepias exaltata (7487167116) (peganum, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_exaltata_(7487167116).jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata). https://milkweedusa.com/species/poke-milkweed/