Why are We Planting This?
Ecological Gifts
Pollinator favorite and a host plant for the monarch butterfly.
Edible Gifts
Although most species from the Asclepias genus are edible when properly prepared, we can’t find specific ethnobotanical records for this one. Will probably leave it just for the pollinators… for now.
Medicinal Gifts
The plant has a rich medicinal history as well. See more below.
Other Gifts
As documented for other Asclepias species, it’s likely the soft fluff in the seedpods of other milkweed species has buoyant properties. It likely can be similarly used to stuff lifejackets, pillows, or other materials and spun into yarn with other fibers or used as candle wicks. Twine can also similarly be made with fibers from the bark as with other members in this genus.
Read more about the ethnobotany of this milkweed and its history of medicinal uses at Native American Ethnobotany Database.