Milkweed in Texas
Every monarch heading north from Mexico crosses Texas, which puts its spring-blooming milkweeds, antelope horns, green antelopehorn and zizotes, among the most consequential plants on the continent. The state also holds desert, Hill Country and coastal marsh species, more than thirty in total.
The best milkweed to plant in Texas
Native to the state, garden-worthy and useful to monarchs. Start here if you are planting rather than identifying.
All milkweed species in Texas
| Species | Height | Flower | Bloom | Soil | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata |
3 ft–5 ft | pink, rose, white | June to September | Wet / Average | |
| 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 | |
| Purple Milkweed Asclepias purpurascens |
2 ft–4 ft | purple, magenta | May to July | Average / Dry | |
| Antelope Horns Asclepias asperula |
1 ft–2 ft | green, cream, maroon | March to July | Dry | |
| Green Antelopehorn Asclepias viridis |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, purple | April to July | Dry / Average | |
| Aquatic Milkweed Asclepias perennis |
1 ft–3 ft | white, pink | May to September | Wet | |
| Zizotes Milkweed Asclepias oenotheroides |
8 in–2 ft | green, cream | March to October | Dry / Average | |
| Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca |
3 ft–6 ft | pink, mauve, white | June to August | Dry / Average | |
| Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | white, green | June to September | Dry / Average | |
| Clasping Milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis |
1.5 ft–3 ft | pink, green, mauve | May to July | Dry | |
| White Milkweed Asclepias variegata |
1.5 ft–3.5 ft | white | May to July | Dry / Average | |
| Fewflower Milkweed Asclepias lanceolata |
2 ft–5 ft | orange, red | May to August | Wet | |
| Pineneedle Milkweed Asclepias linaria |
1.5 ft–4 ft | white, cream | March to October | Dry | |
| Texas Milkweed Asclepias texana |
1 ft–3 ft | white | May to September | Dry / Average | |
| 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 | |
| Red Milkweed Asclepias rubra |
2 ft–4 ft | red, pink | June to July | Wet | |
| Balloon Plant Gomphocarpus physocarpus |
3 ft–6 ft | white, cream | May to October | Average | |
| Tropical Milkweed Asclepias curassavica |
2 ft–4 ft | red, orange, yellow | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Average | |
| Plains Milkweed Asclepias pumila |
4 in–1 ft | white, cream | June to September | Dry | |
| Engelmann’s Milkweed Asclepias engelmanniana |
2 ft–5 ft | green, yellow | June to August | Dry | |
| Slimleaf Milkweed Asclepias stenophylla |
1.5 ft–3.3 ft | cream, green | June to August | Dry | |
| Pineland Milkweed Asclepias obovata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, yellow | June to August | Dry | |
| Tall Green Milkweed Asclepias hirtella |
2 ft–4 ft | green, white | June to August | Dry / Average | |
| Bract Milkweed Asclepias brachystephana |
6 in–1.5 ft | maroon, purple | April 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 | |
| Longleaf Milkweed Asclepias longifolia |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, purple, white | April to July | Wet / Average | |
| Emory’s Milkweed Asclepias emoryi |
4 in–1.2 ft | green, cream | April to September | 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 | |
| Prostrate Milkweed Asclepias prostrata |
2 in–6 in | green, white | March to September | Dry | |
| Sperry’s Milkweed Asclepias sperryi |
8 in–1.7 ft | cream, green | May to August | Dry |
Rare or protected in part of this range: Prostrate Milkweed, Sperry’s Milkweed. Do not collect seed or plants from wild populations of these species.
Not native but naturalised here: Balloon Plant, Tropical Milkweed, Giant Milkweed. Because Texas has mild winters, tropical milkweed can sustain year-round monarch breeding and raise OE parasite loads, so plant a native instead.
Planting milkweed in Texas
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.
Texas spans USDA zones 6a–10a, 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 Texas
Start with Native Plant Society of Texas. 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 Texas
Family-run Texas seed house focused on regional ecotypes.
Elsewhere in the southwest
Independent nursery and seed house for the arid Southwest.
Non-profit native plant program in the Arizona sky islands.
Independent Tucson nursery specializing in Sonoran Desert natives.
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 Texas: common questions
What milkweed is native to Texas?
32 milkweed species are recorded in Texas, including Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). The full list is on this page.
What is the best milkweed to plant in Texas?
Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Showy Milkweed are the best combination of native, available and garden-worthy for Texas. Swamp Milkweed is the easiest to start with.
When should I plant milkweed seed in Texas?
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 Texas?
Yes. 35 species occur in Texas, typically on roadsides, field margins, prairie remnants and along watercourses. Every monarch heading north from Mexico crosses Texas, which puts its spring-blooming milkweeds, antelope horns, green antelopehorn and zizotes, among the most consequential plants on the continent.
Cite this page
This page is licensed CC BY 4.0. Quote it, adapt it and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you credit Milkweed USA and link back.
Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Texas. Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/states/texas/
"Milkweed in Texas." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/states/texas/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Milkweed in Texas." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/states/texas/.
@misc{milkweedusa_statestexas,
title = {Milkweed in Texas},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/states/texas/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}