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Physical Characteristics
Height: Typically grows between 3 to 5 feet tall, but can reach up to 6 or 8 feet in ideal conditions.
Leaves: The large, opposite, oblong-shaped leaves have a prominent reddish central vein and are covered with fine hairs on the underside. When crushed, the leaves and stems exude a white, milky latex sap.
Flowers: Fragrant, small pink to purplish flowers bloom from June through August in dense, spherical clusters called umbels. Each cluster can contain up to 100 flowers.
Fruit: In the fall, the plant produces distinctive gray-green, warty, spindle-shaped pods (follicles) that split open to release flat, brown seeds, each attached to a mass of white, silky "floss" that allows for wind dispersal.
Growing Conditions
Sun Exposure: It requires full sun, needing at least six hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and flowering.
Soil: This plant is highly adaptable and grows in a wide variety of well-drained soils, including dry, poor, or rocky soils, and is even drought-tolerant once established.
Growth Habit: Common milkweed is a perennial that spreads aggressively via deep rhizomes and self-seeding, forming large colonies. This makes it best suited for naturalized areas rather than formal garden borders.
Physical Characteristics
Height: Typically grows between 3 to 5 feet tall, but can reach up to 6 or 8 feet in ideal conditions.
Leaves: The large, opposite, oblong-shaped leaves have a prominent reddish central vein and are covered with fine hairs on the underside. When crushed, the leaves and stems exude a white, milky latex sap.
Flowers: Fragrant, small pink to purplish flowers bloom from June through August in dense, spherical clusters called umbels. Each cluster can contain up to 100 flowers.
Fruit: In the fall, the plant produces distinctive gray-green, warty, spindle-shaped pods (follicles) that split open to release flat, brown seeds, each attached to a mass of white, silky "floss" that allows for wind dispersal.
Growing Conditions
Sun Exposure: It requires full sun, needing at least six hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and flowering.
Soil: This plant is highly adaptable and grows in a wide variety of well-drained soils, including dry, poor, or rocky soils, and is even drought-tolerant once established.
Growth Habit: Common milkweed is a perennial that spreads aggressively via deep rhizomes and self-seeding, forming large colonies. This makes it best suited for naturalized areas rather than formal garden borders.