# Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra)

> A rare bog and seepage-slope milkweed with dusky rose-red flowers and stiff, sharply pointed leaves, scattered thinly down the Atlantic coastal plain and listed as endangered in most northern states where it survives.

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

## Summary

A rare bog and seepage-slope milkweed with dusky rose-red flowers and stiff, sharply pointed leaves, scattered thinly down the Atlantic coastal plain and listed as endangered in most northern states where it survives.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias rubra L. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Red Milkweed, Bog Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 2 ft–4 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–1.7 ft |
| Flower color | red, pink |
| Bloom period | June to July |
| Light | Full sun, Part shade |
| Soil moisture | Wet |
| USDA zones | 6-9 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | lanceolate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Fibrous, clump-forming and easy to move |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 3 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia |

## Identification

- Flowers dull red to rose, in one or a few upright clusters.
- Leaves lance-shaped with a long tapering point and rounded base, held stiffly.
- Acid bogs, seepage slopes and pitcher plant savannas.

## Ecology

Highly habitat-restricted; declining wherever coastal plain wetlands are drained.

## Growing

Difficult, needing acidic, permanently moist, low-nutrient conditions.

## Cautions

Rare and legally protected in several states. Never collect from the wild.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94615-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170334
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/143553
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_rubra
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20rubra.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20rubra

## Photographs

- Asclepias rubra (below) & cf. purpurascens (9341535131) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_(below)_%26_cf._purpurascens_(9341535131).jpg
- Asclepias rubra (below) & cf. purpurascens (9341533749) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_(below)_%26_cf._purpurascens_(9341533749).jpg
- Asclepias rubra (9341546893) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_(9341546893).jpg
- Asclepias rubra (9341530955) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_(9341530955).jpg
- Asclepias rubra (9341532801) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_(9341532801).jpg
- Asclepias rubra (sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra.jpg
- Asclepias rubra - 51308144212 (sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_-_51308144212.jpg
- Asclepias rubra - 51308140137 (sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_rubra_-_51308140137.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra). https://milkweedusa.com/species/red-milkweed/