Asclepias cordifolia
From California Natives Wiki
Botanical Name: Asclepias cordifolia
Common Name: Purple or Heartleaf Milkweed
- Found in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, this milkweed was valued by the Native American Miwok tribe for its stems, which they dried and processed into string and rope. A single Miwok feather skirt or cape was made with approximately 100 feet of cordage, requiring about 500 plant stalks. Monarch butterflies use this as a host plant. This plant is mildly toxic.
- Plant Family: Asclepiadaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Height by Width: 3' H x 3' W
- Growth Habit: Reclining to upright
- Deciduous/Evergreen: Winter dormant
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sun Exposure: Full to part sun
- Soil Preference: Well-draining
- Water Requirements: Drought-tolerant to occasional
- Cold Hardy to: 6,600'
- Flower Season: Spring/Summer
- Flower Color: Purplish--dark purple
- Endangered?: Not Listed
- Distribution: Northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada. Found Outside California: Oregon, Nevada
- Natural Habitat: Rocky slopes, talus, woods, chaparral, lava flows. Elevation: 160 - 6,600'
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