# Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)

> A stiff, upright tallgrass-prairie milkweed with crowded narrow leaves and dense round clusters of small greenish-white flowers, common on prairie remnants and railroad rights of way through the Midwest.

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

## Summary

A stiff, upright tallgrass-prairie milkweed with crowded narrow leaves and dense round clusters of small greenish-white flowers, common on prairie remnants and railroad rights of way through the Midwest.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias hirtella (Pennell) Woodson |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Tall Green Milkweed, Prairie Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 2 ft–4 ft |
| Spread | 10 in–1.5 ft |
| Flower color | green, white |
| Bloom period | June to August |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry, Average |
| 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 | Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin |

## Identification

- Numerous narrow alternate leaves crowded up a single rigid stem.
- Tight, ball-like clusters of small green-white flowers in the leaf axils.
- Indicator of remnant prairie and old cemetery prairies.

## Ecology

Used by monarchs and by a wide range of small prairie bees and wasps.

## Growing

Available from prairie seed suppliers; needs lean soil and full sun.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:21200-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170338
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/127690
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_hirtella
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20hirtella.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20hirtella

## Photographs

- Asclepias hirtella (Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_hirtella.jpg
- Asclepias hirtella arkansas (Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_hirtella_arkansas.jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) - Flickr - wackybadger (Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella)_-_Flickr_-_wackybadger.jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) - Flickr - wackybadger (1) (Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella)_-_Flickr_-_wackybadger_(1).jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) - Flickr - wackybadger (2) (Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella)_-_Flickr_-_wackybadger_(2).jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) (wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella).jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) - 14789079055 (wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella)_-_14789079055.jpg
- Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) - 14808925473 (wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_Green_Milkweed_(Asclepias_hirtella)_-_14808925473.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella). https://milkweedusa.com/species/tall-green-milkweed/