# showy milkweed (*Asclepias speciosa*) Showy milkweed is a beautiful flower with bright pink blooms. It attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful. This plant is also important for caterpillars, especially monarchs, who love to munch on its leaves! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 24 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![showy milkweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Asclepias_speciosa1jakesmome.jpg&width=800) Photo: vicki watkins from USA, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_speciosa1jakesmome.jpg) ## Appearance The showy milkweed has stout stems and large, fuzzy blue-green leaves. Its most distinctive feature is dense, globe-like clusters of star-shaped, rose-pink to purplish flowers that stand out vividly in open spaces. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Gentianales - **Family:** Apocynaceae - **Genus:** Asclepias ## Interesting facts - If you break a leaf, a white, milky liquid oozes out, which is why it's called 'milkweed'! - Its seeds float on silky parachutes, traveling far on the wind to find new homes! - The scientific name, Asclepias, comes from the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius! - The special shape of its flowers can sometimes trap insect legs briefly, ensuring they take pollen! ## Special abilities - **Sticky Shield:** Showy milkweed has milky, sticky sap that oozes out when damaged, protecting it from hungry herbivores. - **Pollen Power Traps:** This plant has unique flower structures that gently grasp insect legs, ensuring efficient pollen transfer. - **Underground Network:** Showy milkweed can spread widely using underground stems, helping it survive and colonize new areas. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-150 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 feed exclusively on its leaves - **Pollinates:** Common Eastern Bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — Visits flowers to collect nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Important nectar source for honey production - **Eats:** [Red Milkweed Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-milkweed-beetle) (*Tetraopes tetrophthalmus*) — Feeds on milkweed leaves and stems ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [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. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [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 Always look but don't touch the plants unless a grown-up says it's okay. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify showy 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 showy milkweed? 30-150 cm ### How wide does showy milkweed spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on showy milkweed? 1-2 cm ### When does showy milkweed bloom? Summer ### Is showy milkweed edible? No ### Is showy milkweed toxic? Moderate ### What is showy milkweed's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Charlestown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/charlestown-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District - [City Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/city-park) — Colorado, US · Park - [Colorado National Monument Visitor Center Complex](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/colorado-national-monument-visitor-center-complex) — Colorado, US · National Park - [Dinosaur Ridge](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dinosaur-ridge) — Colorado, US · Natural Landmark - [Elk Neck State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/elk-neck-state-forest) — Maryland, US · Forest - [Morrill County Courthouse](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/morrill-county-courthouse) — Nebraska, US · Historic Site [View all places to see showy milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/showy-milkweed) ## 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*) --- Source: [Showy Milkweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/showy-milkweed)