Asclepias exaltata L.
Poke milkweed, tall 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 exaltata “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
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm)
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain
Older scientific or horticultural names
Asclepias bicknellii Vail
Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh
Asclepias exaltata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm)
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
Range:
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