# Woolly Milkweed (Asclepias lanuginosa)

> A tiny, shaggy-haired prairie milkweed only a few inches tall, with one cream flower cluster held on a short stalk. Conservation-listed across most of the upper Midwest.

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

## Summary

A tiny, shaggy-haired prairie milkweed only a few inches tall, with one cream flower cluster held on a short stalk. Conservation-listed across most of the upper Midwest.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias lanuginosa Nutt. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Woolly Milkweed, Side-cluster Milkweed |
| Status | Native; rare or legally protected in part of its range |
| Height | 4 in–1 ft |
| Spread | 6 in–1 ft |
| Flower color | cream, green |
| Bloom period | May to June |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 3-7 |
| Leaf arrangement | alternate |
| Leaf shape | lanceolate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 60 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 1 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 2 |
| US states recorded | Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin |

## Identification

- Densely covered in long soft hairs throughout.
- Very short stature with a single cream-green flower cluster.
- Dry gravel prairie and hill prairie remnants.

## Ecology

A dry-prairie remnant indicator, lost wherever prairie has been converted or heavily grazed.

## Growing

Rare and difficult; leave wild populations undisturbed.

## Cautions

Listed as threatened or endangered in several Midwestern states.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:329557-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170327
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158745
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_lanuginosa
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20lanuginosa.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20lanuginosa

## Photographs

- Near Aden Malpais - Flickr - aspidoscelis (1) (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Near_Aden_Malpais_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis_(1).jpg
- Lordsburg Mesa - Flickr - aspidoscelis (64) (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lordsburg_Mesa_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis_(64).jpg
- Near 1117 Mountain - Flickr - aspidoscelis (3) (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Near_1117_Mountain_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis_(3).jpg
- Lordsburg Mesa - Flickr - aspidoscelis (94) (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lordsburg_Mesa_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis_(94).jpg
- Woolly Milkweed photographed in Wisconsin, US (Public domain (CC0), CC0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/127321283
- Woolly Milkweed photographed in Fertile, MN, US (Rose Zappa, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/123310478
- Woolly Milkweed photographed in Juneau County, WI, USA (Kim, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/290644498
- Woolly Milkweed photographed in Brown County, NE, USA (Colin Croft, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27220224

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Woolly Milkweed (Asclepias lanuginosa). https://milkweedusa.com/species/woolly-milkweed/