Asclepias linaria - PINENEEDLE MILKWEED
Pineneedle Milkweed is a small shrub with soft, finely textured, pine needle-like leaves. From winter to fall, small clusters of fragrant, creamy-white flowers bloom from the stem tips. This plant is a great nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. It is a vital larval food plant for the Monarch butterfly. Native to the Southwestern U.S., this perennial wildflower is drought and heat-tolerant. It makes an attractive desert landscape plant with its interesting shape and unusual flower clusters. Pack of 30 seeds.
Details
Common Names: Pineneedle Milkweed, Needle-leaf Milkweed
Botanical Name: Asclepias linaria
Name Meaning:
- Asclepias: Honors Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, due to the plant's medicinal history.
- linaria: Latin linum, "flax", because of the plant's narrow, flax-like leaves.
Native Range: North America (rocky slopes, canyons, mesas, open woodlands, and limestone ridges of the southwestern United States and Mexico)
Plant Family: Apocynaceae (dogbanes)
Grow Zone (Hardiness): 9 - 11 (15°F) Find my zone
Bloom: Small, lightly fragrant white to creamy-white flowers are produced spring through late fall, followed by fat, teardrop-shaped seed follicles that go from green to brown as they mature.
Light: Full sun (tolerates afternoon shade)
Soil: Well-draining
Water: Low
Growth Rate/Habit: Moderate/Compact subshrub
Mature Size: 2-5 ft. tall x 2-3 ft. wide
Caution:
- Sap: Handle with care as the milky sap can be a skin irritant.
- Toxicity: The plant is toxic if ingested by pets and humans.
We recommend planting this in our Cactus/Succulent Soil.
Photo 1 by Dick Culbert/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; photo 2 by Michael Wolf/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; photo 3 by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0