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Asclepias lanceolata

Common name:	Purple Silkweed	Family:	Asclepiadaceae
Author:	Walter.	Botanical references:	200, 204, 235
Synonyms:	Asclepias paupercula
Known Hazards:	Although no specific reports have been seen for this species, many, if not all, members of this genus contain toxic resinoids, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides[274]. They are usually avoided by grazing animals[274].
Range:	Eastern N. America - New Jersey to Florida and Texas
Habitat:	Swamps, mostly near the coast[235].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. lanceolata var. paupercula[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Few-flower Milkweed [B], Fewflower Milkweed [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	lanceolata = lance shaped
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Gentianales. Milkweed family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.2m. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers Gum Leaves Seedpod Sweetener.

The following uses have been recorded for the closely related A. rubra. They probably also apply to this closely related species[K].

Flower buds - cooked as potherbs or added to soups[207].
Young shoots and leaves - cooked as potherbs or added to soups[207].
Young seed pods, 3 - 4 cm long, cooked[207].
Flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup[207].
A chewing gum can be made from the latex contained in the stem and leaves, but it is possibly toxic[207].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Warts.

The latex is used as a cure for warts[168].

Other Uses

Fibre Latex Stuffing.

The following uses have been recorded for many other members of this genus, it is fairly safe to assume they can also be applied to this species[K].

A fibre is obtained from the bark[92, 99]. It is used in twine, coarse cloth, paper etc[92, 99].
The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth[168, 169]. It is a Kapok substitute, used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material[169]. It is very water repellent. The floss has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea.
Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and the stems[57, 92, 112].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained light rich or peaty soil and a sunny position[1, 134, 200].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is closely related to A. rubra[200]. This species has less flowers than most other members of the genus[235].
Many members of this genus seem to be particularly prone to damage by slugs. The young growth in spring is especially vulnerable, but older growth is also attacked and even well-established plants have been destroyed in wet years[K].
Plants resent root disturbance and are best planted into their final positions whilst small[134].
The flower of many members of this genus can trap insects between its anther cells, the struggles of the insect in escaping ensure the pollination of the plant[207].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn or in late winter[134, 169]. We have also had good results from sowing the seed in the greenhouse in early spring[K], though stored seed might need 2 - 3 weeks cold stratification[134]. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 3 months at 18° c[134]. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out when they are in active growth in late spring or early summer and give them some protection from slugs until they are growing away strongly.
Division in spring. With great care since the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and place them in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly, then plant them out in the summer, giving them some protection from slugs until they are established..
Basal cuttings in late spring. Use shoots about 10cm long with as much of their white underground stem as possible. Pot them up individually and place them in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse until they are rooting and growing actively. If the plants grow sufficiently, they can be put into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in the greenhouse until the following spring and when they are in active growth plant them out into their permanent positions. Give them some protection from slugs until they are established.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Asclepiadaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[92] Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975 ISBN 0-520-00072-2
A nice readable book.

[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.

[112] Whiting. A. G. A Summary of the Literature on Milkweeds (Asclepias spp) and their utilization.
A technical paper covering the many uses of the genus Asclepias.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[204] Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978 ISBN 0-660-00025-3
In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

Readers Comments

The Milkweeds

Sheila Chmuhalek (schmuhal@granite.mb.ca) Sat 27 Sept 1997

I found your web site while I was searching for information on milkweed, and the milkweeds page showed up. I am a professor of textiles at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Congratulations on having such an interesting site. I'll be back.

Has your group thought about plants as dyes? I found the page on fibre but was surprised that dyes weren't mentioned. If anyone's interested, Milkweed is a terrific dye source, as well.

Cross references: Genera: Asclepias. Web-pages: The Milkweeds.

The Milkweeds

David Raymond (draymond@cats.ucsc.edu) Wed May 30 00:17:57 2001

I ran across an article on commercial trials of milkweed as a kapok -fluff-producer in the US. I will try to track it down for you. The US military, or agriculture department, initially looked at milkweed as a source for a petroleum substitute in the event of war. As you note, it is not very productive in that respect. So there is now research on the use of the fluff, which is as warm as down but does not mat down when it gets wet. Keep up the good work. David Raymond

Cross references: Genera: Asclepias. Web-pages: The Milkweeds.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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