Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Asclepias meadii

Asclepias meadii Torr. ex A. Gray

Mead's Milkweed

Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: ASME

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officially listed Asclepias meadii as �Threatened� in 1988. Historical records indicate this species has been rare since the arrival of Europeans in North America (Woodson, 1941) and their destruction of native prairies by European agricultural practices and urbanization.

Threatened nationally; Endangered in IA, IL, MO; Reintroduced in IN.

From the Image Gallery

No images of this plant

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Fruit Type: Follicle
Size Notes: Up to about 2 feet tall.
Leaf: 2-6 pairs of opposite, narrow, tapering off to a point. Length 2-2.8 inches. Width 4-2 inches. Hairless.
Flower: Usually has one nodding umbel per stem, approximately 15 flowers with .8 inches long pedicels. Flower color is greenish or slightly yellow with occasional hints of purple, and the texture of the flower appears to be waxy. The individual flowers have 5 tubular hood shaped structures; and have horns that protrude out from them.
Fruit: Seeds mature from July to October. Color of the pods are originally green, but as they mature turn brown. Pods grow to be 1 1/2 to 4 inches long.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green
Bloom Time: May , Jun

Distribution

USA: IA , IL , IN , KS , MO , WI
Native Habitat: Native tall grass prairies and some glades in the Ozarks, Missouri. It grows well in prairies that are regularly burned and in rocky open areas. In general areas with low competition from other plants.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Threatened & Endangered Status

USFWS Species Profile: Q1T6
Status: Threatened
Historic Range: U.S.A. (IA, IL, IN, KS, MO, WI)
Critical Habitat: N/A
Special Rules: N/A
This information is derived from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serrvice Environmental Conservation Online System.

Web Reference

Webref 20 - Milkweed Profiles (0) Monarch Watch

Additional resources

USDA: Find Asclepias meadii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Asclepias meadii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Asclepias meadii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2014-11-12
Research By: DEW

Go back