# Longleaf Milkweed (Asclepias longifolia)

> A slim coastal plain milkweed of damp pine savanna, with long narrow leaves and greenish-white flowers heavily washed in purple, borne in nodding clusters from the upper leaf axils.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/species/longleaf-milkweed/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Summary

A slim coastal plain milkweed of damp pine savanna, with long narrow leaves and greenish-white flowers heavily washed in purple, borne in nodding clusters from the upper leaf axils.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias longifolia Michx. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Longleaf Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1 ft–2.5 ft |
| Spread | 8 in–1.3 ft |
| Flower color | green, purple, white |
| Bloom period | April to July |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Wet, Average |
| USDA zones | 7-10 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | narrow |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Fibrous, clump-forming and easy to move |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 2 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 2 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia |

## Identification

- Long, narrow, closely spaced opposite leaves.
- Flowers green-white strongly tinted purple, in drooping axillary clusters.
- Moist pine savanna and flatwoods.

## Ecology

Another fire-dependent coastal plain species with a shrinking habitat base.

## Growing

Seldom cultivated.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:329558-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170230
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158748
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_longifolia
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20longifolia.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20longifolia

## Photographs

- Asclepias longifolia imported from iNaturalist photo 30402035 on 8 February 2020 ((c) Jody Shugart, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_longifolia_imported_from_iNaturalist_photo_30402035_on_8_February_2020.jpg
- Asclepias longifolia imported from iNaturalist photo 30402038 on 8 February 2020 ((c) Jody Shugart, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_longifolia_imported_from_iNaturalist_photo_30402038_on_8_February_2020.jpg
- Asclepias incarnata 25zz (Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_incarnata_25zz.jpg
- Longleaf Milkweed photographed in Jackson County, MS, USA (Lauren McLaurin, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25280424
- Longleaf Milkweed photographed in Wewahitchka, FL 32465, USA (Scott Allen Davis, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/176522012
- Longleaf Milkweed photographed in Punta Gorda, FL 33982, USA (Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26570764
- Longleaf Milkweed photographed in Georgia, US (Jessica, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/177674708
- Longleaf Milkweed photographed in North Carolina, US (harrier, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/223460508

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Longleaf Milkweed (Asclepias longifolia). https://milkweedusa.com/species/longleaf-milkweed/