Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed)

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Asclepias incarnata L.

Swamp milkweed, rose milkweed, swamp silkweed, white Indian hemp, scarlet milkweed

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Gentianales	Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
Family	Asclepiadaceae	Includes some herbs, twining shrubs, lianas, leafless stem succulents, rarely trees
Genus	Asclepias	For Asklepios, the Greek god of healing
Species	incarnata	Literally, “in the flesh,” in this case meaning flesh-colored, for the flowers

About plant names...

Swamp milkweed is a North American native plant with a fondess for mucky soils.

Identification: Plants are erect, 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) in height, often occurring in clumps. Stems are usually branched, green or often purple in color. Like other milkweeds, stems and leaves emit a milky latex that contains a toxic brew that helps to protect the plant from predators. Swamp milkweeds produce less of this sap than the other species though. Leaves are opposite, lanceolate, 2½-6″ (7-15 cm) long, with smooth edges and pinnate, featherlike veins. They have sharp tips and rounded bases. Flowerheads are rounded umbels composed of many pink to mauve to dark purple (rarely white) flowers. Flowers are five-petaled, with a cinnamon-like fragrance, and appear from June to October. Seed pods are green, up to 4½″ (12 cm) long. They split open when dry, releasing large numbers of seeds, each on a silken parachute.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones All parts of the plant contain cardiac glycosides and resinoids, making it moderately poisonous. Vomiting, stupor, weakness and spasms are among the symptoms.

Online References:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

The yellow bugs are Aphis nerii (yellow milkweed aphid). If you look closely, you can also make out monarch caterpillars, with their yellow, white, and black stripes. · 9/23/2017 · Summit of Mt. Agamenticus, York, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

9/22/2013 · Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area, off route 119, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (12 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

4/13/2015 · Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain

9/23/2017 · Summit of Mt. Agamenticus, York, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (26 × 17 cm)

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm) ID is uncertain

7/8/2016 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts

Asclepias incarnata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

7/2/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)

Seed pods. The yellow bugs are Aphis nerii (yellow milkweed aphid). · 9/23/2017 · Summit of Mt. Agamenticus, York, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

4/13/2015 · Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 8 × 12″ (21 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm) ID is uncertain

7/2/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts

9/22/2013 · Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area, off route 119, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm) ID is uncertain

9/22/2013 · Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area, off route 119, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (12 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm) ID is uncertain

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

7/8/2016 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts

Range: Zones 3-6:

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