Asclepias subulata (Rush Milkweed)

Adding vertical lines to the landscape, Asclepias subulata (Rush Milkweed) is an evergreen perennial forming a striking bouquet of ascending, gray-green, succulent stems. The stems bear small linear leaves, 2 in. long (5 cm), only after rain, and are naked the rest of the time. From mid-spring to winter, small clusters of creamy-white flowers with reflexed corollas are borne at the stem tips. Opening from creamy yellow buds, they are a great nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. They are also a larval food source for the caterpillars of the monarch and queen butterfly species. The blossoms give way to narrow, smooth, glabrous pods that open to release their white-plumed seeds. Native to the Southwestern U.S., this desert wildflower is drought and heat-tolerant. It makes an attractive desert landscape plant with its interesting shape and unusual flower clusters that attract butterflies and other insects. Rush Milkweed is the only evergreen milkweed native to the U.S.

Milkweed plants belong to the Apocynaceae family, which includes other flowering plants such as oleander, hoya, plumeria, and the desert rose.

Milkweed plants are critical to monarch butterflies’ survival, whose population in North America has plummeted by 90% in the last 20 years. By planting milkweed in your own garden, you can help reverse the fortune of these beautiful insects!

• Grows up to 2-4 ft. tall and wide (60-120 cm).
• Thrives in full sun in sandy, well-drained soils. Water infrequently to occasionally. Drought tolerant once established. Shade tolerant under desert conditions.
• A vital ingredient of butterfly gardens. Perfect for the sunny dry garden.
• No serious pest or disease issues.
• Propagate by seed or stem cuttings.
• This plant is slightly poisonous and its sap is a skin irritant.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.
• Native to California, Arizona and Nevada, northern Mexico.
• Got questions about milkweed? We have the answers!