# California Milkweed (Asclepias californica)

> A gorgeous, entirely white-woolly California endemic whose deep wine-red flowers hang in heavy nodding clusters against silver foliage. It looks like a plant designed rather than evolved.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/species/california-milkweed/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Summary

A gorgeous, entirely white-woolly California endemic whose deep wine-red flowers hang in heavy nodding clusters against silver foliage. It looks like a plant designed rather than evolved.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias californica Greene |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | California Milkweed, Round-hooded Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1 ft–3 ft |
| Spread | 1.5 ft–3 ft |
| Flower color | maroon, purple |
| Bloom period | April to July |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 8-10 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 4 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 4 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | California |

## Identification

- Entire plant thickly felted in white wool, giving a silver-gray appearance.
- Flowers deep maroon to dusty purple-red, in large drooping clusters.
- Stems sprawl and arch outward from a woody crown.
- Chaparral, oak woodland and grassland slopes below 7,000 feet.

## Ecology

An important western monarch host in the California foothills, blooming before the summer dry season arrives.

## Growing

Superb in a dry California garden but resents summer water once dormant. Sharp drainage, full sun, and no irrigation after June.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:21153-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170236
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51272
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_californica
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20californica.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20californica

## Photographs

- Asclepias californica (172276296) (Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_californica_(172276296).jpg
- Asclepias californica, California Milkweed (glmory, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_californica,_California_Milkweed.jpg
- Asclepias californica, California milkweed (glmory, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_californica,_California_milkweed.jpg
- Asclepias californica, California milkweed 2 (glmory, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_californica,_California_milkweed_2.jpg
- Asclepias californica (Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_californica.jpg
- Asclepias sp. flowers (Marshal Hedin) (Marshal Hedin, CC BY-SA 2.5): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_sp._flowers_(Marshal_Hedin).jpg
- Asclepias sp. (Marshal Hedin) (Marshal Hedin, CC BY-SA 2.5): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_sp._(Marshal_Hedin).jpg
- California Milkweed photographed in Moorpark, CA, US (klicklo, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/283479707

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). California Milkweed (Asclepias californica). https://milkweedusa.com/species/california-milkweed/