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Asclepias lanceolata Walter
Fewflower Milkweed
Prairie Milkweed
Florida native
A frequent milkweed of wet flatwoods, wet prairies and floodplain forests throughout most of Florida. The range includes the Gulf and Atlantic coastal states from Texas into New Jersey, plus Tennessee.
A tall perennial with smooth, slender, unbranched stems to 1 m (~3 ft.) tall. The few linear or narrowly lanceolate leaves are opposite, 3-13 mm (1/8-1/2 in.) wide and 10-20 cm (4-8 in.) long. The red to reddish-orange or reddish-purple flowers are in terminal umbels and have five reflexed lobes, five petals and five stamens. Blooming season is mostly spring through fall, but can be all year in south Florida.
Similar species are A. tuberosa - butterfly weed - which has alternate leaves, and the non-native A. curassavica - scarlet milkweed - which has leaves wider than 1 cm (3/8 in.).
Asclepias lanceolata is a member of the Apocynaceae - Dogbane family.
Other species of the Asclepias genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Asclepias cinerea - CAROLINA MILKWEED
Asclepias curassavica - TROPICAL MILKWEED
Asclepias curtissii - CURTISS' MILKWEED
Asclepias humistrata - PINEWOODS MILKWEED
Asclepias longifolia - LONGLEAF MILKWEED
Asclepias michauxii - MICHAUX'S MILKWEED
Asclepias pedicellata - SAVANNAH MILKWEED
Asclepias perennis - SWAMP MILKWEED
Asclepias tomentosa - VELVETLEAF MILKWEED
Asclepias tuberosa - BUTTERFLY WEED
Asclepias verticillata - WHORLED MILKWEED
Asclepias viridiflora - GREEN MILKWEED
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Oct 19, 2023
