Milkweed in Arizona
Arizona’s milkweed flora is the most distinctive in the country, with leafless rush milkweed and towering whitestem milkweed in the Sonoran Desert, pineneedle milkweed on desert grassland, and showy milkweed along mountain streams. Many species bloom in winter or after summer monsoon rain rather than in spring.
The best milkweed to plant in Arizona
Native to the state, garden-worthy and useful to monarchs. Start here if you are planting rather than identifying.
All milkweed species in Arizona
| Species | Height | Flower | Bloom | Soil | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa |
1 ft–3 ft | orange, yellow, red | May to September | Dry / Average | |
| Showy Milkweed Asclepias speciosa |
2 ft–5 ft | pink, rose | May to August | Average / Dry | |
| Narrowleaf Milkweed Asclepias fascicularis |
2 ft–4 ft | white, pink, green | May to September | Dry / Average | |
| Antelope Horns Asclepias asperula |
1 ft–2 ft | green, cream, maroon | March to July | Dry | |
| Rush Milkweed Asclepias subulata |
2 ft–6 ft | cream, white | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Dry | |
| Zizotes Milkweed Asclepias oenotheroides |
8 in–2 ft | green, cream | March to October | Dry / Average | |
| Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | white, green | June to September | Dry / Average | |
| Hall’s Milkweed Asclepias hallii |
1.5 ft–3 ft | pink, mauve | June to August | Dry | |
| Desert Milkweed Asclepias erosa |
2 ft–5 ft | cream, yellow | April to September | Dry | |
| Pineneedle Milkweed Asclepias linaria |
1.5 ft–4 ft | white, cream | March to October | Dry | |
| Green Comet Milkweed Asclepias viridiflora |
1 ft–3 ft | green | May to August | Dry | |
| Broadleaf Milkweed Asclepias latifolia |
1 ft–3 ft | green, cream | May to August | Dry | |
| Sand Milkweed Asclepias arenaria |
1 ft–2.5 ft | cream, green | June to August | Dry | |
| Whitestem Milkweed Asclepias albicans |
3 ft–10 ft | cream, white | January to May and November to December | Dry | |
| Mahogany Milkweed Asclepias hypoleuca |
1 ft–2.5 ft | maroon, cream | June to September | Dry | |
| Nodding Milkweed Asclepias glaucescens |
1 ft–3 ft | green, white | June to September | Dry / Average | |
| Tropical Milkweed Asclepias curassavica |
2 ft–4 ft | red, orange, yellow | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Average | |
| Bract Milkweed Asclepias brachystephana |
6 in–1.5 ft | maroon, purple | April to August | Dry | |
| Rusby’s Milkweed Asclepias rusbyi |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, white | May to August | Dry | |
| Giant Milkweed Calotropis procera |
6 ft–12 ft | white, purple | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Dry | |
| Poison Milkweed Asclepias subverticillata |
1 ft–3 ft | white, green | June to September | Dry | |
| Pallid Milkweed Asclepias cryptoceras |
4 in–1 ft | cream, pink | April to June | Dry | |
| Mojave Milkweed Asclepias nyctaginifolia |
6 in–1.5 ft | green, cream | April to June | Dry | |
| Dwarf Milkweed Asclepias involucrata |
4 in–10 in | green, cream | April to June | Dry | |
| Longhood Milkweed Asclepias macrotis |
8 in–1.7 ft | green, cream | April to August | Dry | |
| Welsh’s Milkweed Asclepias welshii |
1.5 ft–4 ft | cream, pink | May to July | Dry | |
| Ruth’s Milkweed Asclepias ruthiae |
4 in–1 ft | pink, cream | April to June | Dry | |
| Lemmon’s Milkweed Asclepias lemmonii |
8 in–2 ft | green, purple | July to September | Dry / Average | |
| Slimpod Milkweed Asclepias quinquedentata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | cream, green | July to September | Dry | |
| Wheel Milkweed Asclepias uncialis |
2 in–6 in | maroon, green | April to June | Dry | |
| Tufted Milkweed Asclepias nummularia |
2 in–8 in | cream, green | April to August | Dry |
Rare or protected in part of this range: Welsh’s Milkweed, Wheel Milkweed. Do not collect seed or plants from wild populations of these species.
Not native but naturalised here: Tropical Milkweed, Giant Milkweed. Because Arizona has mild winters, tropical milkweed can sustain year-round monarch breeding and raise OE parasite loads, so plant a native instead.
Planting milkweed in Arizona
Sow seed outdoors in November to January. Winter then supplies the cold-moist stratification most milkweed seed needs, and germination happens naturally as the soil warms. If you have missed that window, chill seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow after your last frost. The full method is here.
Arizona spans USDA zones 4b–10b, so check the zone range on each species page before committing. Match the species to your site rather than the other way round: dry, sunny and poor suits butterfly weed and the whorled species; a damp spot suits swamp milkweed; shade suits very few milkweeds at all.
Plant at least ten stems in one group rather than scattering them, because female monarchs find dense patches far more readily. Add late-season nectar such as goldenrod and asters so the fall migratory generation has fuel as well as host plants. How to lay out a monarch garden.
Where to buy milkweed in Arizona
Start with Arizona Native Plant Society. State native plant societies run the plant sales worth going to: locally grown, untreated stock, at a few dollars a plant, sold by people who can tell you where to put it.
In Arizona
Non-profit native plant program in the Arizona sky islands.
Independent Tucson nursery specializing in Sonoran Desert natives.
Elsewhere in the southwest
Family-run Texas seed house focused on regional ecotypes.
Independent nursery and seed house for the arid Southwest.
Ships to you
One of the widest milkweed seed and bare-root ranges anywhere, with germination codes listed for every species.
Long-established independent nursery specializing in Midwestern natives.
Independent seed producer supplying restoration-scale native seed by the pound.
Family-run native seed producer for the eastern and central states.
Independent nursery growing Missouri-provenance natives.
These favor independent nurseries and non-profits over chain garden centers, which mostly stock unlabeled tropical milkweed and often cannot tell you whether it has been treated with neonicotinoids. Search the full directory by ZIP code.
Milkweed in Arizona: common questions
What milkweed is native to Arizona?
29 milkweed species are recorded in Arizona, including Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), Antelope Horns (Asclepias asperula). The full list is on this page.
What is the best milkweed to plant in Arizona?
Butterfly Weed, Showy Milkweed, Narrowleaf Milkweed are the best combination of native, available and garden-worthy for Arizona. Butterfly Weed is the easiest to start with.
When should I plant milkweed seed in Arizona?
Sow outdoors in November to January, so winter provides the cold stratification the seed needs. If you have missed that window, stratify seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow in spring after the last frost.
Does milkweed grow wild in Arizona?
Yes. 31 species occur in Arizona, typically on roadsides, field margins, prairie remnants and along watercourses. Arizona’s milkweed flora is the most distinctive in the country, with leafless rush milkweed and towering whitestem milkweed in the Sonoran Desert, pineneedle milkweed on desert grassland, and showy milkweed along mountain streams.
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Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Arizona. Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/states/arizona/
"Milkweed in Arizona." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/states/arizona/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Milkweed in Arizona." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/states/arizona/.
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