Find milkweed

 

Monarch means milkweed

Milkweed is a flowering plant essential to the life cycle of the monarch, as it is the sole source of food for the caterpillars. The survival of the butterfly depends on the accessibility of this host plant. An important part of Mission Monarch is to identify and map milkweed in Canada. There are about a dozen species of milkweed in Canada, in nine of the ten provinces.

Check out the identification sheets below to find and recognize milkweed species in your area.


SEARCH CRITERIA


SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: Glabrous, pale green to purplish green, from 60 to 150 cm tall.
Umbels: Green-white to pink, drooping umbels with long pedicels.
Leaves: Narrow, pointy tips, 5 to 25 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs.
Fruits: Linear and lance-shaped follicles, pubescent, up to 15 cm long.
Habitat: Moderately moist soil rich in organic matter, along forest edges and in clearings.
Tolerates shade.
Distribution: Ontario, Quebec
Asclepias exaltata
Asclepias exaltata

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: Downy (hairy), from 60 to 200 cm tall.
Umbels: Red or purplish-pink.
Leaves: Narrow, tapered, 4 to 17 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs.
Fruits: Long, narrow and smooth follicles, changing colour from green to brownish.
Habitat: Wetlands. Also found in swamps, ditches and near streams, rivers and lakes.
Population:   Often scattered – does not form dense colonies.
Distribution:  Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova-Scotia, Prince Edward Island
Asclepias incarnata
Asclepias incarnata
Asclepias incarnata
Asclepias incarnata

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: simple (unbranched) and downy, 30 to 60 cm tall.
Flowers: greenish white or pale violet corolla; orange or yellow corona.
Leaves: opposite, oval, with pointy tips, 5 to 8 cm long.
Habitat: likes sandy soil, roadsides and dry, sunny conditions.
Distribution:  British Colombia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario
Ovalifolia_BrettWhaley
Ovalifolia_CAJCInTheRockies

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: 45 to 200 cm tall, velvety or pubescent (hairy).
Flowers: pale pink, arranged in umbels. The corona hoods are long (9 to 13 mm) and
lance-shaped, making the flowers look like stars.
Leaves: opposite, 10 to 25 cm long, smooth or slightly downy.
Habitat: well-drained soil, sunny sites, pastures, swamps, forest edges, untilled fields,
roadsides, ditches.
Distribution:  British Colombia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
speciosa_PatrickAlexander
speciosa_PatrickAlexander
speciosa_AndreyZarkikh
Aspeciosa_EmilyJmat

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: downy, usually single, 90 to 120 cm tall. Underground stems.
Leaves: broad and thick, 10 to 20 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem and with
pubescent undersides.
Flowers: pale pink or violet, arranged in almost spherical umbels.
Fruits: large spindle-shaped fruit, bumpy, rough and downy.
Habitat: poor, dry soil, disturbed, sunny sites.
Distribution:  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island
syriaca_DaphneLaurierMontpetit
syriaca_SonyaCharest
syriaca_SonyaCharest
syriaca_SonyaCharest
syriaca_SonyaCharest

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: 20 to 60 cm tall.
Flowers: bright orange-yellow, arranged in umbels.
Leaves: alternate on the stem (not opposite each other), lance-shaped, 5 to 10 cm long,
smooth on top and downy beneath.
Habitat: limestone soils, open, rocky, dry sites. Does not tolerate shade.
Unique feature:  no milky sap.
Distribution:  Ontario, Quebec
Tuberosa_JoshuaMayerage
Tuberosa_MartinLaBar
Tuberosa_BrettWhaley
Atuberosa_FrankMayField

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: angled, pubescent (hairy) or glabrous, 40 to 100 cm tall.
Flowers: white corona and greenish corolla.
Leaves: elongated and narrow, almost threadlike, 5 to 10 cm long. Arranged in groups of 2 to
4, opposite each other on the stem.
Fruits: elongated and lance-shaped, 7 to 10 cm long, glabrous or pubescent (hairy).
Habitat: dry, infertile soils.
Distribution:  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario
Verticillata_JohnBrandauer
Verticillata_BrettWhaley
Verticillata2_FrankMayfield
Verticillata2_JohnBrandauer

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: 30 to 90 cm tall, pubescent, green and sometimes purplish.
Flowers: arranged in often downward-facing umbels, pale green sometimes tinged with violet.
Unlike other milkweed species, the flowers of this species have no corona hoods.
Leaves: arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. Vary in shape depending on the habitat where
the plant is found. They may be long and narrow or broader and oval. The leaf edges
may sometimes be wavy.
Habitat: dry, sandy or rocky soils, but also in wetter sites like marshes.
Distribution:  British Colombia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario
Viridiflora_Eleanor
Viridiflora_MattaLavin
Viridiflora_JoshuaMayer
Viridiflora2_JoshuaMayer

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: Grey-green, glabrous (smooth) from 70 to 100 cm tall.
Umbels: Eye-catching orange-red and yellow blooms that last into September. Under ideal conditions (tropics), it can bloom all year round.
Leaves: Opposite and lance-shaped, smooth, sometimes with a white coloration along the central vein. They can measure up to 15 cm in length.
Fruits: Long and narrow, 7 to 10 cm in length.
Habitat: In gardens (ornamental plant in North America). Prefers a sunny environment.
Distribution:  The Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico.
Ornamental plant cultivated as an annual in Canada (cannot tolerate Canadian winters) or as an indoor plant.
Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias curassavica

SPECIFICATIONS

Stem: Erect habit, up to 180 cm tall.
Umbels: Umbels of pubescent (hairy) flowers white to pink-violet. They release a vanilla smell.
Leaves: Opposite, long, narrow and lanced-shaped. Slightly pubescent, pale green in colour, and up to 10 cm long.
Fruits: Light green, round, balloon-like fruit covered with soft bristles. Fruit is eye-catching and different from other milkweeds.
Habitat: In gardens (ornamental plant in North America). Tolerates dry to moderately moist soil and likes full sun.
Distribution:  South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique.
Ornamental plant cultivated as an annual in Canada (cannot tolerate Canadian winters).
Gomphocarpus physocarpus
Gomphocarpus physocarpus