Apocynaceae
Common milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (30)
- Arabic
- صقلاب سوري
- arz
- صقلاب سورى
- bar
- Gwénliche Seinpflaunzen
- Belarusian
- Ватачнік сірыйскі
- Bulgarian
- Сирийски асклепиас
- Catalan
- Asclépiade commune
- Chinese
- 普通乳草, 維吉尼亞馬利筋, 西亚马利筋
- Croatian
- Prava svilenica
- Czech
- Klejicha hedvábná
- Dutch
- Zijdeplant
- English
- Common milkweed, Butterfly flower, Silkweed, Silky swallow-wort, Virginia silkweed
- Finnish
- Mesisilkkiyrtti
- French
- Asclépiade commune, Herbe à ouate, Asclepiade commune, Asclépiade de Cornut, Asclépiade de Syrie, Cotonnier, Herbe aux perruches, Herbe à la ouate
- German
- Gewöhnliche Seidenpflanze, Echte Seidenpflanze, Asclépiade commune, Gemeine Seidenpflanze
- hsb
- Syriska židźinka
- Hungarian
- Selyemkóró, Selyemfű, Tejelőkóró
- Japanese
- オオトウワタ
- Latvian
- Sīrijas asklēpija
- Lithuanian
- Sirinis klemalis, Asclépiade commune
- Macedonian
- Циганско перје
- Malagasy
- Fandemy
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Rosesilkeurt
- Polish
- Trojeść amerykańska
- Russian
- Ваточник сирийский, Ласточкина трава, Млечная трава, Эскулапова трава
- Serbian
- Cigansko perje, Циганско перје, Свиленица
- Slovenian
- Sirska svilnica, Cigansko perje, Papagajska svilnica
- Swedish
- Sidenört, Asclépiade commune
- Turkish
- Çayır Sütotu, Süt Otu, Yaygın Süt Otu
- Ukrainian
- Ваточник звичайний, Ваточник сірійський
- Vietnamese
- Giống bông tai thường
Synonyms
- Asclepias apocinum Gaterau
- Asclepias capitellata Raf.
- Asclepias consanguinea Kunze
- Asclepias cornuti Decne.
- Asclepias fragrans Raf.
- Asclepias globosa Stokes
- Asclepias grandifolia Bertol.
- Asclepias illinoensis Michx. ex Steud.
- Asclepias intermedia Vail
- Asclepias obtusifolia Kunze
- Asclepias pubescens Moench
- Asclepias pubigera Dumort.
- Asclepias serica Raf.
- Asclepias syriaca f. inermis J.R.Churchill
- Asclepias syriaca f. leucantha Dore
- Asclepias syriaca f. polyphylla B.Boivin
- Asclepias syriaca f. syriaca
- Asclepias syriaca var. syriaca
Flowers
- In flower
- June to July (from 8,992 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Becky Dill, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Becky Dill, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Kent P. McFarland, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Jrosenberry1, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Béla Halasi-Kovács, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Jason K., CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Novoklimov, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Lukáš Maďara, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: NY State IPM Program at Cornell University from New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: slavomira kubik, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Terry Woodward, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
More in Asclepias
- BloodflowerAsclepias curassavicaApocynaceae
- 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.