Asclepias fascicularis

Narrow leaf milkweed 

Why buy a plant that is about to go dormant?

1.    It is probably the single most important host plant for Monarch butterflies in California.

2.    It's very easy to grow, even with little to no water. 

3.    It will be on Sale at the AVRCD Fall Plant SALE October 22, 2022, from 8 am to 4 pm.

Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) or Mexican whorled milkweed is a flowering perennial with distinctive long narrow pointed leaves giving the plant its common name. It blooms in clusters of white to lavender flowers. The milkweed pods split open in the fall with silky hairs that carry the seed off in the slightest breeze. This plant is common throughout the western United States.  
Milkweeds in general are the host plants for Monarch butterfly larva.  Milkweed gardeners should be prepared for the plant to be eaten by Monarch caterpillars (and aphids) but will be rewarded by the presence of beautiful Monarch Butterflies.  It is important not to use pesticides as use of any pesticide on or even near the plant can be fatal to the Monarch caterpillars.  

This Perennial herb is deciduous in winter and will sometimes die back to the ground before reviving in the Spring so often best to plant in less prominent spots in a garden.  The Narrow Leaf Milkweed may reach a height of one-and-a-half to three feet by a width of one foot.

Toxicity: Milkweed is potentially poisonous to humans as well as animals.  All parts of the plant contain toxic cardiac glycosides, which can cause nausea, diarrhea, weakness, and confusion in small amounts, and seizures, heart rhythm changes, respiratory paralysis, and even death in large amounts. Milkweed can also irritate the skin and eyes if touched.