Apocynaceae

Purple milkweed

Asclepias purpurascens L.

Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias

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Purple milkweed: Species : Asclepias purpurascens Family : Asclepiadaceae Image No. 2 — Photo: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (5)

Arabic: صقلاب أرجواني
arz: صقلاب ارجوانى
Chinese: 紫乳草
English: Purple milkweed
Malayalam: അസ്ക്ലെപിയസ് പർപുറസീൻസ്

Synonyms

Asclepias amoena L.
Asclepias compressa Moench
Asclepias dasypus Raf.
Asclepias gonalis Raf.
Asclepias lasiotis Raf.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: danno1800, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: danno1800, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Catherine Zold, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Krystin Martinez, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: rita goodman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: doug.noland, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF

More in Asclepias

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.