Ascelpias incarnata

(Marsh Milkweed)

(Silkweed, Red Milkweed)

Asclepias incarnata is a must for any rain garden. The name incarnata means "in the flesh", which refers to the bundles of pink flowers or, more rarely, white that adorn this wonderful native. Ascelpias is in honor of the Greek God Asklepios, the god of medicine. As I'm sure you can imagine by name and by placement on this site, Marsh Milkweed can be found in moist bottomlands. It especially loves those furtile missouri floodplains, but don't limit it to Missouri, Ascelpias grows throughout the entire country with the exception of the far west, such as California. Ascelpias incarnata even grows beautifully in Conneticut. And for those of you south of Missouri, yes this beautiful pink wildflower will flourish in clay-ridden soil. One more thing, the endangered Monarch butterfly adores the beautiful Marsh Milkweed.
Asclepias thrives in full sunlight and grows to a modest 2 to 4 feet so make sure it gets a place up front so it won't be overwhelmed by the larger wildflowers. It flowers late so look for it to welcome the fall with blazing colors.

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