Apocynaceae

Showy milkweed

Asclepias speciosa Torr.

Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Showy milkweed: Asclepias speciosa growing in the parking area, it reminded me of a milkweed back in Iowa that we used to harvest monarch larvae from. I think it's my favorite — Photo: vicki watkins from USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (7)

arz: اسكليبياس سبيسيوسا
Chinese: 华丽乳草, 華麗乳草, 美丽马利筋
English: Showy milkweed, Greek milkweed, Pink milkweed
Finnish: Tähtisilkkiyrtti
German: Schöne Seidenpflanze
Malayalam: അസ്ക്ലെപിയാസ് സ്പെഷിയോസ
nv: Chʼil abeʼétsoh

Synonyms

Asclepias douglasii Hook.
Asclepias giffordii Eastw.
Asclepias longicornis Kellogg

Flowers

Flower colour: white (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

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

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

Photo: vicki watkins from USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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.