# Milkweed in Arizona

> 31 milkweed species are recorded in Arizona.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/states/arizona/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Overview

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.

- Species recorded: 31
- USDA hardiness zones: 4b–10b
- Monarch flyway: western
- Best time to sow seed outdoors: November to January

## Species recorded in Arizona

| Common name | Scientific name | Native | Height | Bloom |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Butterfly Weed | Asclepias tuberosa | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to September |
| Showy Milkweed | Asclepias speciosa | Yes | 2 ft–5 ft | May to August |
| Narrowleaf Milkweed | Asclepias fascicularis | Yes | 2 ft–4 ft | May to September |
| Antelope Horns | Asclepias asperula | Yes | 1 ft–2 ft | March to July |
| Rush Milkweed | Asclepias subulata | Yes | 2 ft–6 ft | nearly year-round in frost-free areas |
| Zizotes Milkweed | Asclepias oenotheroides | Yes | 8 in–2 ft | March to October |
| Whorled Milkweed | Asclepias verticillata | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | June to September |
| Hall’s Milkweed | Asclepias hallii | Yes | 1.5 ft–3 ft | June to August |
| Desert Milkweed | Asclepias erosa | Yes | 2 ft–5 ft | April to September |
| Pineneedle Milkweed | Asclepias linaria | Yes | 1.5 ft–4 ft | March to October |
| Green Comet Milkweed | Asclepias viridiflora | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to August |
| Broadleaf Milkweed | Asclepias latifolia | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to August |
| Sand Milkweed | Asclepias arenaria | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | June to August |
| Whitestem Milkweed | Asclepias albicans | Yes | 3 ft–10 ft | January to May and November to December |
| Mahogany Milkweed | Asclepias hypoleuca | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | June to September |
| Nodding Milkweed | Asclepias glaucescens | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | June to September |
| Tropical Milkweed | Asclepias curassavica | No | 2 ft–4 ft | nearly year-round in frost-free areas |
| Bract Milkweed | Asclepias brachystephana | Yes | 6 in–1.5 ft | April to August |
| Rusby’s Milkweed | Asclepias rusbyi | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | May to August |
| Giant Milkweed | Calotropis procera | No | 6 ft–12 ft | nearly year-round in frost-free areas |
| Poison Milkweed | Asclepias subverticillata | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | June to September |
| Pallid Milkweed | Asclepias cryptoceras | Yes | 4 in–1 ft | April to June |
| Mojave Milkweed | Asclepias nyctaginifolia | Yes | 6 in–1.5 ft | April to June |
| Dwarf Milkweed | Asclepias involucrata | Yes | 4 in–10 in | April to June |
| Longhood Milkweed | Asclepias macrotis | Yes | 8 in–1.7 ft | April to August |
| Welsh’s Milkweed | Asclepias welshii | Yes | 1.5 ft–4 ft | May to July |
| Ruth’s Milkweed | Asclepias ruthiae | Yes | 4 in–1 ft | April to June |
| Lemmon’s Milkweed | Asclepias lemmonii | Yes | 8 in–2 ft | July to September |
| Slimpod Milkweed | Asclepias quinquedentata | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | July to September |
| Wheel Milkweed | Asclepias uncialis | Yes | 2 in–6 in | April to June |
| Tufted Milkweed | Asclepias nummularia | Yes | 2 in–8 in | April to August |

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Arizona. https://milkweedusa.com/states/arizona/