Apocynaceae
Bloodflower
Asclepias curassavica
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
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Common names
By language (26)
- Arabic
- تفله تركي
- arz
- تفله تركى
- Bangla
- মরিচা ফুল, ইপিকাক, লাল মুন্ডি
- Bulgarian
- Копринено растение
- Burmese
- အစ္စလွေပင်
- Chinese
- 尖尾鳳, 馬利筋, 马利筋, 芳草花, 莲生桂子花, 金凤花, 黄冠马利筋
- Czech
- Klejicha kurasavská
- Danish
- Rav-Silkeplante
- Dutch
- Frederiksbloem, Koningsbloempje
- English
- Bloodflower, Tropical milkweed, Blood flower, Mexican butterfly, Scarlet milkweed
- Finnish
- Punasilkkiyrtti
- German
- Indianer-Seidenpflanze, Curaçao-Seidenpflanze
- Haitian Creole
- Zèb papiyon
- Hebrew
- אסקלפיאס אדום
- Hungarian
- Selyembokor, Kínaileander, Selyemvirág
- Japanese
- トウワタ, 唐綿
- Korean
- 금관화
- Malagasy
- Fanoromena, Kitseakanalika, Montafara, Treniombilahy
- Malayalam
- ചെമ്മുള്ളി
- Russian
- Ваточник кюрасавский
- shn
- တူၼ်ႈမႆႉလၢင်းၶိူဝ်း
- Spanish
- Cancerillo, Chilillo venenoso, Cojon de gato, Cojón de gato, Cominos rusticos, Cominos rústicos, Flor de la seda, Flor de tigre
- Swedish
- Röd sidenört
- Telugu
- జిల్లేడు మందార
- Thai
- ไฟเดือนห้า
- Tongan
- Tuʻulapepe, Loupepe
Synonyms
- Asclepias aurantiaca Salisb.
- Asclepias bicolor Moench
- Asclepias cubensis Wender.
- Asclepias curassavica f. flaviflora Tawada
- Asclepias curassavica f. kentingensis F.C.Ho
- Asclepias curassavica f. pallidiflora Griseb.
- Asclepias curassavica var. concolor Krug & Urb.
- Asclepias margaritacea Hoffmanns. ex Schult.
- Asclepias nivea var. curassavica (L.) Kuntze
Flowers
- In flower
- all year (from 7,891 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb, Subshrub
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced
Photos

FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Luis Ángel Niño Barreat, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Manfred Werner / Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Ljuba brank, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Ljuba brank, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Amar Bharathy, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
More in Asclepias
- Common milkweedAsclepias syriacaApocynaceae
- Butterfly milkweedAsclepias tuberosaApocynaceae
- Swamp milkweedAsclepias incarnataApocynaceae
- Showy milkweedAsclepias speciosaApocynaceae
- Woollypod milkweedAsclepias eriocarpaApocynaceae
- Whorled milkweedAsclepias verticillataApocynaceae
- Spider milkweedAsclepias asperulaApocynaceae
- Heartleaf milkweedAsclepias cordifoliaApocynaceae
- Purple milkweedAsclepias purpurascensApocynaceae
- California milkweedAsclepias californicaApocynaceae
- Clasping milkweedAsclepias amplexicaulisApocynaceae
- Desert milkweedAsclepias erosaApocynaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.