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Wednesday - March 09, 2005
From: New Port Richey, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Non-native Asclepias curassavica
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have some plants given to me by a neighbor, here in Florida. She says they are called Butterfly Reel or by another name Asclepias Curassavica. I have been unable to locate any info. on this plant. Can you help ??? Thanks.ANSWER:
The scientific name of the plant is Asclepias curassavica and it has several common names--bloodflower, wild ipecacuantha, butterfly weed, scarlet milkweed. It is a member of the milkweed family (Family Asclepiadaceae) which serve as hosts for the monarch butterflies. It is a non-native introduced from South America that has become naturalized in Florida and other tropical and subtropical areas. You can read more about it and its cultivation on the Floridata web page.More Non-Natives Questions
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