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Asclepias exaltata L.

Poke milkweed, tall milkweed

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderGentianalesGentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
FamilyAsclepiadaceaeIncludes some herbs, twining shrubs, lianas, leafless stem succulents, rarely trees
GenusAsclepiasFor Asklepios, the Greek god of healing
Speciesexaltata“Very tall, lofty”

About plant names...

Poke milkweed is a North American native plant.

Identification: Plants are 2-6′ (60-182 cm) in height, with one to three stems per plant. Stems are often dark greenish purple. Leaves are opposite, narrow, elliptic, with petioles (stems) 1-3″ (2.5-7.6 cm) long. They have smooth tops and fuzzy undersides, and are 3-8″ (7.6-20 cm) × 1-3″ (2.5-7.6 cm). Leaf veins often have a tinge of purple. Flowers are white, about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) around, with tinges of green or lavender colors, appearing as umbels that hang downward on greenish or purplish stems. Each umbel has about ten flowers, and each stem has one to six umbels. They appear from July to August. Seed pods are 4-6″ (10-15 cm) long, and narrower than those of common milkweed.

See J. S. Pippen's site at Duke University for a milkweed comparison chart.

Edibility: Mildly toxic in large quantities, due to the presence of cardiac glycosides.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

Monarchwatch.org

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Discover Life

Minnesota Wildflowers

Ontario Wildflowers

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

Asclepias bicknellii Vail

Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh

 

Asclepias exaltata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed, tall milkweed)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Range:

About this map...