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Green Milkweed

Asclepias viridis

Other common name(s):

Spider Milkweed

Family:

Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Red Prairie
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Llano Uplift
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1.5
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Limestone, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Yellow, Green, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Bees

Maintenance

Like many other milkweeds it is loved by certain butterflies. Grows in a variety of soils. Blooms off and on from Spring through Summer. It requires little water and full sun. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms April-September. Green Milkweed has a spreading, open growth form. It has an oblong leaf, often with wavy margins. Flowers are white, arranged in an umbel, mostly one per plant. Some flowers will have rose or purple color in the center of each flower. Like other milkweeds, it has milky sap. This milkweed is common in pastures from Kansas to Texas. It is generally avoided by grazing animals. It can be found along roadsides, ditches, prairies, open areas, and other areas. All plants in the genus Asclepias are somewhat toxic, some fatally so, to both humans and animals. The sap of some causes skin irritation in humans.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Asclepiodora viridis

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASVI2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Asclepias+viridis&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=1398&locationType=County&mapType=Normal., 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=30323#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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