Milkweed and butterfly weed plants, both members of the asclepias family, are the sole food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Noted for its very long blooming season, asclepias curassavica silky deep red tropical milkweed is an upright evergreen subshrub boasting eyecatching clusters of deep red flowers adorned with bright yellow hoods from late spring to late fall. Silky deep red tropical milkweed is a monarch butterfly host plant with attractive red and yellow flowers. Produces beautiful flower umbels in intense colours on strong stems for an exotic look. Learn more about monrovia plants and best practices for best possible plant performance. Asclepias curassavica, commonly known as tropical milkweed, is a flowering plant species of. Use it in butterfly gardens, as well as the middle or back of the. Pair with plants with large foliage and mounding or loose spreading forms to help the butterfly weed poke through the plants. The genus name is asclepias curassavica color is silky scarlet. Tropical milkweed for monarch caterpillars and butterflies tropical beauty. It typically grows in a clump to tall and features clusters umbels of bright orange to yelloworange flowers atop upright to.
White or purple flowers are complementary colors to yellow and red, which will contrast nicely. To provide the best benefit to monarchs, plant tropical milkweed alongside local varieties for a diverse. Sep 21, 2017 butterfly weed is a perennial wildflower native to north america. Learn how to grow and care for beautiful butterfly weed. It is native to the american tropics and has a pantropical distribution as an introduced species. A beautiful addition to sunny border gardens, water features, or the butterfly garden, red milkweed is also a good for naturalizing in low spots or other moist areas in the landscape. A valuable source of nutrition for monarch butterflies, this. Silky deep red butterfly weed bears flowers with yelloworange crowns and deep red orange corellas for a lovely twotoned bloom. Bearing rich, redorange and yellow blooms, this tropical milkweed blooms until frost or throughout the year in tropical regions. Butterfly weed has an interesting and unusual flower structure. What is a butterfly weed how to grow butterfly weed in. The monarchs migrate through our area just as the asclepias begin to awaken in spring, just in time for the females to lay their eggs on the new growth. Red butterflies milkweed monrovia red butterflies milkweed. These are followed by attractive green pods that open to release silky parachutes to drift away.
Asclepias curassavica is excellent in butterfly gardens or as a cut flower. Contrary to the plants name, it is not considered a noxious weed, but is valued for the deep orange, red and yellow flowers which attract monarch butterflies. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red tropical milkweed. Milkweed plants are critical to the monarch butterflies survival, whose population. Vibrant yellow and red flowers are borne from spring to frost on an upright to spreading perennial. Silky red butterfly weed, mexican butterflyweed perennials. It will grow in any average soil as long as the soil is fairly welldrained. Asclepias curassavica tropical milkweed for monarchs. The silky scarlet produces blooms that range in color from salmon and. Butterfly weed asclepias tuberosa, swamp milkweed asclepias incarnata are considered the best varieties for an ornamental garden. Butterfly weed plants can grow up to 3 feet in height and produce their famous flowers.
Milkweed, butterfly weed, asclepias plants american meadows. The multitasking milkweed silky red tropical milkweed. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red tropical milkweed buy. The stems are sturdy, plants compact, the foliage has a redpurple tone and flowers excellent for cutting. Red butterfly asclepias seeds and plants, annual flower.
Silky deep red tropical milkweed asclepias american meadows. Like other varieties, it is a host for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red red butterflyweed this is a darker redflowered form of the typically orange and yellow butterfly weed, also known as. Rutgers gardens will be closed until further notice. Other names include swamp milkweed and pink milkweed. Works well in gardens, landscapes, patio planters and as an annual cut flower.
Silky deep red tropical milkweed has captured the heart of butterfly gardeners. A new, deep red form of asclepias curassavica or butterfly milkweed. Silky deep red butterfly weed bears flowers with yelloworange crowns and deep redorange corellas for a lovely twotoned bloom. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red red butterflyweed this is a darker red flowered form of the typically orange and yellow butterfly weed, also known as tropical milkweed, a tender semievergreen perennial prized for attracting butterflies, particularly the monarch butterfly, into the garden. The brilliant orange or red flower clusters appear in midsummer. Mexican butterfly weed silky deep red, redhead silky deep red, scarlet. Asclepias curassavica, commonly known as tropical milkweed, is a flowering plant species of the milkweed genus, asclepias. Is the butterfly plant poisonous to animals or humans. Silky formula mix asclepias seed johnnys selected seeds. The flowers are a great source of nectar for butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other beneficial insects. How to cut back butterfly milkweed home guides sf gate. The flat seeds have silky hairs that allow the seeds to float on air currents.
Monrovias silky gold milkweed details and information. Planting a block of milkweed is the easiest way to help rebound the plummeting population of this beloved butterfly, but you might choose to plant it based on looks alone. Browse pictures and read growth cultivation information about asclepias, tropical milkweed, bloodflower, butterfly weed, mexican milkweed, scarlet milkweed asclepias curassavica silky deep red. Asclepias, tropical milkweed, bloodflower, butterfly weed. Silky deep red indian butterfly weed is a vigorous grower with brightly colored flower clusters in rich, red and bright yellow crowns that are slightly larger than average. This easy care, wellbehaved plant needs little attention and provides wonderful color. Silky scarlet is a tropical species that is a perennial in frostfree regions and an annual in regions that experience freezing temperatures. Sep 21, 2017 common milkweed has purplish flowers, with the blooms of butterfly weed orange or red, the only kind of milkweed that showcases these colors. Selected for more vibrant color and slightly larger flower clusters than the species.
Plants grow about 3 feet tall and butterflies flock to the flowers that are produced during summer and into fall. Butterfly weed silky redasclepias curassavica rutgers. Noted for its very long blooming season, asclepias curassavica tropical milkweed is an upright evergreen subshrub boasting eyecatching clusters of orange red flowers adorned with yellow hoods from early summer to fall. Butterfly weed silky redasclepias curassavica rutgers gardens. Silky red butterfly weed, mexican butterflyweed perennials all. The monarch butterfly is drawn to for nectar and as a host plant for its eggs. Asclepias tuberosa, the butterfly weed, is a species of milkweed native to eastern north america. Sow indoors 8 weeks before outdoor planting date in spring using a seed starting kit. Silky deep red tropical milkweed produces eyecatching, redorange flowers with yellow centers. The information tag that came with it, lists it as butterfly weed. Silky deep red tropical milkweed asclepias american. Butterfly weed plants asclepias tuberosa are troublefree north american natives that produce umbels of bright orange, yellow or red blooms all summer long. It is native to south america, but has naturalized worldwide in many tropical and subtropical areas.
Bloodflower asclepias curassavica silky deep red in the. The silky mix, or asclepias curassavica, has several beautiful variations of the original a. I wish i could attach a picture as it looks like tropical milkweed as well, not butterfly weed asclepias tuberosa. Asclepias tuberosa butterfly milkweed, butterfly weed from. What is a butterfly weed how to grow butterfly weed in the. Butterfly weed is appropriately named, as the nectar and pollenrich flowers attract hummingbirds and hordes of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects throughout the blooming season. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red, red butterflyweed.
Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting. Super easy to grow, very branching to 30 tall and topped spring thru summer with. So much so that it was voted the 2017 perennial plant of the year by the perennial plant association. Both provide food for monarch and queen caterpillars and butterflies.
Planting milkweed asclepias is essential to creating a habitat for the beloved monarch butterfly s survival, as they are the only plants on which monarch caterpillars will feed. As the main food source for the beloved monarch butterfly caterpillar, milkweed has seen a huge resurgence in popularity as of late. This milkweed cultivar is bred for its distinct flower color. These annual butterfly milkweeds are covered with vivid. Asclepias may be grown from seed sown early indoors and transplanted outside after frost, or sown directly in the garden after frost. Aphids can also be removed by blasting the plant with a high pressure stream of water.
Asclepias curassavica silky deep red red butterflyweed this is a darker red flowered form of the typically orange and yellow butterfly weed, also known as. While you wont want to feed the long, tapered flower clusters to your kids or your dog, the plant is not known to be toxic to people or animals. Clusters of attractive buds open to bright scarlet red and yellow flowers. Showy, seasonlong blooms provide lasting color and a nonstop resource for monarchs. Dec 10, 2018 butterfly weed asclepias tuberosa produces green foliage through spring and summer and clusters of small red, orange or yellow flowers. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red bearing rich, red orange and yellow blooms, this tropical milkweed blooms until frost or throughout the year in tropical regions. Asclepias tuberosa, commonly called butterfly weed, is a tuberous rooted, missouri native perennial which occurs in dryrocky open woods, glades, prairies, fields and roadsides throughout the state steyermark. Butterfly weed can be grown from seeds you sow directly in the garden this is best done in fall, and theyll sprout in the spring or started indoors during the winter after a period of cold stratificationthough its worth noting that butterfly weed really dislikes having its roots disrupted, so direct sowing is probably the most reliable. Asclepias curassavica silky gold at san marcos growers. Silky red bloodflower vivid red and gold clusters of tiny, starshaped flowers contrast handsomely with the dark green, lanceshaped leaves of asclepias curassavica silky red.
Water regularly weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers. Asclepias curassavica silky deep red red butterflyweed this is a darker redflowered form of the typically orange and yellow butterfly weed, also known as tropical milkweed, a tender semievergreen perennial prized for attracting butterflies, particularly the monarch butterfly, into the garden. Asclepias curassavica silky gold golden butterflyweed this is an all yellow form of the typically orange and yellow butterfly weed, also known as tropical milkweed, a tender evergreen perennial is prized for attracting butterflies, particularly the monarch butterfly, into the garden. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. Also known as milkweed, butterfly weed, blood flower, and sunset flower.
Browse pictures and read growth cultivation information about asclepias, tropical milkweed, bloodflower, butterfly weed, mexican milkweed, scarlet milkweed asclepias curassavica silky. Milkweed plants for sale asclepias butterfly weed high. Posted by gingin fountain, florida zone 8b on dec 9, 2011 10. Butterfly weed is appropriately named, as the nectar and pollenrich flowers attract hummingbirds and hordes of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. Lady bird johnson wildflower center the university of texas. The pods split open when ripe releasing silky haired seeds, easily carried by the wind. Common milkweed has a milky sap like most types of milkweeds, an aspect of the plant that gives milkweeds their name.
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