Origin: US Native

Other Common Names: Sullivant's Milkweed, Smooth Milkweed

Duration: Perennial

Bloom Time: Summer

Height: 24” to 36”

Spacing: 18” to 24”

Light: Full Sun

Soil Moisture: Medium

USDA Zone: 4a-9b

Germination: Fall plant or cold stratify at 40F for 2 to 3 months, then move to 70F. Some seeds may take two seasons to sprout.

Seeds Per Oz: 4900

This species of milkweed is named after the 19th century American botanist William Starling Sullivant. Preferring moist prairie areas, this wildflower is commonly found in river bottom-lands and wet meadows. It differs from common milkweed in it's smooth stems, leaves, and seed pods, upward sweeping red-veined leaves, and larger flowers. It's fragrant rose or mauve colored blooms attract butterflies and birds, and are a host plant for monarch larvae. When ripe, it's seed pods split open, releasing the downy silk and seeds milkweed is so famous for. Prized in dried floral arrangements!