Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

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Asclepias curassavica - Wikipedia
Asclepias curassavica - USDA PLANTS Database
Asclepias curassavica - Monarch Butterfly Garden

Duration: Perennial

Origination: American tropics

Edibility: Toxic

Status in Yard: Planted in two places, spreading nearby

I planted my first tropical milkweed near the back fence on March 24, 2014 and planted another towards the back end of the east fence. Both have generally done well. They have both had monarch larvae eating their leaves and stems in the fall, but I have not yet seen a chrysalis on either one.

Here is the first milkweeed on the day I planted it.

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Flower buds on a newly transplanted milkweed on April 19, 2014

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Milkweed flowers

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I planted two additional milkweed seedlings against the western fence near the back of the yard on June 21, 2014. The smaller of the two ended up being more successful.

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Tropical milkweed seedpods on November 6, 2016

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Seedpods and seed tufts on November 10, 2016

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