Butterfly Flower, Pleurisy Root
Asclepias tuberosa A very handsome, easy, and garden-worthy milkweed that is a colorful nectar plant for adult butterflies, and the host plant for monarchs in particular. Their babies (caterpillars) eat milkweeds exclusively, so if you want monarchs to lay eggs and reproduce, this helps. Vigorous mounded 2x2' plants bear broad 5" heads of waxy flowers attractive to butterflies and bees. Leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae. Native Americans used roots to combat lung and throat troubles and to soothe wounds and sores.Germinates in 3 weeks at 70°. Choose a permanent site with well-drained fertile sandy soil because its tuberous roots do not like to be disturbed. Direct sow in spring or fall, thinning to 18–24". Slow to emerge in spring. Perennial, Zones 4-9. 40 seeds