# Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)

> A delicate spring milkweed of dry oak woodland: a slim stem carrying one whorl of four broad leaves at mid-height and a small airy cluster of pale pink flowers. The earliest milkweed to bloom across much of the East.

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

## Summary

A delicate spring milkweed of dry oak woodland: a slim stem carrying one whorl of four broad leaves at mid-height and a small airy cluster of pale pink flowers. The earliest milkweed to bloom across much of the East.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias quadrifolia Jacq. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Fourleaf Milkweed, Whorled Woodland Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Spread | 9 in–1.3 ft |
| Flower color | pink, white |
| Bloom period | May to June |
| Light | Part shade, Shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, Average |
| USDA zones | 4-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | whorled |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 4 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia |

## Identification

- A single whorl of four leaves partway up the stem, with opposite pairs above and below it.
- Small, pale pink to nearly white flowers in a loose cluster.
- Under two feet tall, growing in dry woodland shade.
- Flowers in May, weeks before other eastern milkweeds.

## Ecology

One of very few milkweeds available to the earliest arriving monarchs in the Appalachians and Ozarks, and useful to spring woodland bees.

## Growing

Charming in a woodland garden with dry, well-drained, leafy soil. Goes dormant early. Never dig from the wild; buy nursery-propagated stock.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94581-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170257
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/129548
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_quadrifolia
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20quadrifolia.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20quadrifolia

## Photographs

- Asclepias quadrifolia 001 (Halpaugh, CC BY-SA 3.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_001.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia (Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 511684130 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_511684130.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 511684135 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_511684135.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 511684117 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_511684117.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 511684147 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_511684147.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 652500784 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_652500784.jpg
- Asclepias quadrifolia 652500764 (Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_quadrifolia_652500764.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia). https://milkweedusa.com/species/fourleaf-milkweed/