# prairie milkweed (*Asclepias sullivantii*)

Prairie milkweed is a tall plant with beautiful pink flowers. It grows in fields and is very important for butterflies, especially monarchs, who love to lay their eggs on it.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![prairie milkweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Asclepias_sullivantii.jpg&width=800)

Photo: gmayfield10, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_sullivantii.jpg)

## Appearance

The prairie milkweed has smooth, shiny, lance-shaped leaves and dense, rounded clusters of rosy-pink to purple flowers. Its foliage appears clean and sleek, standing out amongst other prairie plants.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Gentianales
- **Family:** Apocynaceae
- **Genus:** Asclepias

## Interesting facts

- Break a stem, and watch out for milky white sap!
- It can grow taller than many kids, reaching your chest!
- Its name honors Joseph Sullivant, a plant-loving scientist!
- The bumpy seed pods look just like tiny canoes!

## Special abilities

- **Monarch's Diner:** Prairie milkweed has special leaves that monarch caterpillars eat to grow big and strong.
- **Deep Drinker:** This plant can reach deep underground with a long taproot to find water during dry spells.
- **Seed Glider:** It produces seeds with silky parachutes that carry them far away on the wind.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 60-120 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Moderate
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Caterpillars feast on its leaves to grow.
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Adult butterflies drink sweet nectar from its flowers.
- **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — Bumble bees help the plant make seeds.
- **Eats:** [Red Milkweed Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-milkweed-beetle) (*Tetraopes tetraophthalmus*) — Adults and larvae feed on its leaves and roots.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't eat any plants without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify prairie milkweed?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is prairie milkweed?

60-120 cm

### How wide does prairie milkweed spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on prairie milkweed?

1-2 cm

### When does prairie milkweed bloom?

Summer

### Is prairie milkweed edible?

No

### Is prairie milkweed toxic?

Moderate

### What is prairie milkweed's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Prairie Milkweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/prairie-milkweed)