Tall Green Milkweed

Perennial  •  $6, 4-inch pot

• 

• 

Height	3 to 4 ft
Spacing	1.5 ft
Sun Exposure	Full to Part Sun
Soil Moisture	Medium to Dry
Bloom Color	Green-White
Bloom Time	June – Aug
Companion Plantings	Little Bluestem, Flowering Spurge, Grass-leaved Goldenrod, Orange Coneflower
Special Attributes

Asclepias hirtella

This uncommon milkweed is unique among its genus in that it has thin, alternately arranged leaves, whereas many milkweeds are easily distinguished by their large, oval-shaped oppositely-paired leaves. Tall Green Milkweed grows to 3 or 4 feet and prefers dry areas, but readily adapts to cultivated garden spaces that receive consistent moisture. Soil must be well-drained, however, as this plant will resent standing water. Like many other milkweeds, an extensive root system makes Asclepias hirtella highly drought tolerant but difficult to transplant, so site accordingly.

As with all milkweeds, this plant is a host to the Monarch butterfly and at least 11 other caterpillar species in Southern Indiana/Louisville, some of which include the Milkweed Tiger Moth and the Unexpected Cycnia. Pollinators, which include nearly every type of bee, wasps, and a few small butterflies and moths, readily visit the summer blooms for nectar. This plant is said to produce a higher number of flower umbels than other milkweeds. It is similar in appearance to Whorled Milkweed (A. verticillata), but much taller. This plant is sometimes referred to simply as Green Milkweed, but this is confusing as two other shorter milkweeds also go by that common name, A. viridis (also called Spider Milkweed) and A. viridiflora (also called Short Green Milkweed). The leaves and stems of this plant contain the milky latex common to all milkweeds and it is thus mostly avoided by mammalian herbivores.

Related Plants