Dig into Plants: Milkweed Comparison Chart (detailed)

Milkweed Comparison Chart

Butterfly Milkweed	Swamp Milkweed	Common Milkweed


Butterfly Milkweed

Leaves	Flowers	Plant Description
Lanceolate shaped	Bright orange to yellow orange in color	Herbaceous perennial plant that grows 1-2.5 feet high and 1-1.5 feet wide. Shiny green leaves are aound 0.75 inches wide and 2-4 inches long. Leaves are smooth on top and velvety unerneath. Stems are hairy. Flowers are flat-topped clusters 2-5 inches across; each flower has 5 petals bent downward, topped by a crown of 5 hoods, each one containing a short horn
Entire/smooth margin	Stellate shaped
Alternate leaf arrangement	Blooms May – September
Simple leaf form


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Joseph A. Marcus Click on image to enlarge it	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center R. W. Smith Click on image to enlarge it	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Benny Simpson Click on image to enlarge it


Swamp Milkweed

Leaves	Flowers	Plant Description
Lanceolate shaped	Light pink, light purple, magenta, or red in color	Herbaceous perennial plant that grows 3-5 feet high and 2-3 feet wide. Green leaves are 2.75-6 inches long and 0.5 – 1 inch wide. Leaves are long, narrow and taper to a point. Individual flowers are 0.25 inches across with 4-5 petals per flower; form clusters up to 2-3 inches wide; crown of flower has 5 parts with a curved horn sticking out above each part
Entire/smooth margin	Stellate shaped
Opposite leaf arrangement	Blooms June – October
Simple leaf form


Minnesota Wildflowers Katy Chayka Click on image to enlarge it	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Joseph A. Marcus Click on image to enlarge it	Wikimedia peganum Click on image to enlarge it


Common Milkweed

Leaves	Flowers	Plant Description
Ovate or Elliptical shaped	Pinkish purple in color	Herbaceous perennial plant that grows 2-3 feet high and 0.75 – 1 feet wide. Leaves are 4 – 4.75 inches long and 2-4 inches wide and slightly pointed at the tip. Leaves are darker green on the top and lighter green with hairs on the underside. Midrib is light pink or white. Clusters of more than 30 flowers form rounded drooping domes up to 2 inches across; individual flowers are 0.5 inches across with 5 downward pointing petals and a 5 part crown.
Ovate or Elliptical shaped	Pinkish purple in color
Entire/smooth margin	Stellate shaped
Opposite leaf arrangement	Blooms June – August
Simple leaf form


Minnesota Wildflowers Katy Chayka Click on image to enlarge it	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center James L. Reveal Click on image to enlarge it	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

Milkweed Comparison Chart

	Leaves				Flowers
	Shape	Margin	Arrangement	Form	Color	Shape	Bloom Months
Butterfly Milkweed					Bright orange to yellow orange		May – September
	Lanceolate	Entire/smooth	Alternate	Simple	Bright orange to yellow orange	Stellate

Swamp Milkweed					Light pink, light purple, magenta, or red		June – October
	Lanceolate	Entire/smooth	Opposite	Simple	Light pink, light purple, magenta, or red	Stellate

Common Milkweed					Pinkish purple		June – August
	Ovate or Elliptical	Entire/smooth	Opposite	Simple	Pinkish purple	Stellate

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Dig into Plants: Milkweed Comparison Chart (detailed)