# Nodding Milkweed (Asclepias glaucescens)

> A stout borderland milkweed with thick blue-gray leaves and heavy nodding clusters of greenish-white flowers, growing in oak woodland and canyon grassland in the Arizona and New Mexico sky islands.

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

## Summary

A stout borderland milkweed with thick blue-gray leaves and heavy nodding clusters of greenish-white flowers, growing in oak woodland and canyon grassland in the Arizona and New Mexico sky islands.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias glaucescens Kunth |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Nodding Milkweed, Glaucous Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1 ft–3 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | green, white |
| Bloom period | June to September |
| Light | Part shade, Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry, Average |
| USDA zones | 6-10 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 3 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Arizona, New Mexico |

## Identification

- Thick, waxy, distinctly blue-gray (glaucous) leaves.
- Flower clusters nod downward on stout stalks.
- Sturdier and broader-leaved than the other borderland species.

## Ecology

A monsoon-season host that provides substantial leaf area at a time when the desert below is exhausted.

## Growing

Rarely offered; needs sharp drainage and summer moisture.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94322-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170302
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158740
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20glaucescens.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20glaucescens

## Photographs

- Asclepias glaucescens (Edgar p miller, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_glaucescens.jpg
- Asclepias glaucescens (7554335692) (Tyrrhium, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_glaucescens_(7554335692).jpg
- Asclepias glaucescens1 (Bodofzt, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_glaucescens1.jpg
- Nodding Milkweed photographed in Acámbaro, Guanajuato, Mexico (Oscar Alejandro Morales Juárez, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/262986153
- Nodding Milkweed photographed in California, Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura, Chiapas (Neptalí Ramírez Marcial, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3473008
- Nodding Milkweed photographed in 68258 Oax., México (Ricardo Betancourt Sánchez, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/227617231
- Nodding Milkweed photographed in 3ro, 70830 Santa Catarina Cuixtla, Oax., México (Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/151786056
- Nodding Milkweed photographed in Monte Albán, Oax., Mexico (Corey Farwell, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/261928314

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Nodding Milkweed (Asclepias glaucescens). https://milkweedusa.com/species/nodding-milkweed/