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Broadleaf Milkweed

Asclepias latifolia (Torr.) Raf.

Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family (formerly in Asclepiadaceae, the Milkweed Family)

new shoots emerging from creeping roots in spring ▲▼

mature, flowering plants ▲▼

 ▲▼ flowers

 

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Asclepias latifolia (Torr.) Raf., Broadleaf Milkweed: (Bayer Code:  ASCLT; US Code ASLA4)

·         Native creeping perennial common in open prairies of western Midwest

·         Grows 1.5-4 feet tall, with opposite, blunt-tipped oval leaves (leaves almost rectangular in shape due to blunting of both ends)

·         Similar to common milkweed, but leaves are larger, more squarish and darker green

·         New shoots are blue-green when emerging in spring

·         Has large, tuberous root system allowing it spread laterally 3-5 feet per year

·         Flowers are small, cream to yellowish in globe-shaped, axillary clusters

·         Unpalatable and somewhat toxic to livestock

·         Prefers dry, sandy, alkaline soils

The “weediness” of milkweeds has been revisited due to them being the main food for monarch butterfly larvae; therefore, milkweeds no longer are being generally considered as weeds to eradicate, and actually have legal protection in some areas

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Updated 19 January 2019