# Mead’s Milkweed (Asclepias meadii)

> A federally threatened tallgrass-prairie milkweed with a single nodding cluster of greenish-cream flowers on a slim glaucous stem. It survives almost entirely on hay meadows and prairie remnants that have never been plowed.

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

## Summary

A federally threatened tallgrass-prairie milkweed with a single nodding cluster of greenish-cream flowers on a slim glaucous stem. It survives almost entirely on hay meadows and prairie remnants that have never been plowed.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias meadii Torr. ex A. Gray |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Mead’s Milkweed |
| Status | Native; rare or legally protected in part of its range |
| Height | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Spread | 8 in–1.2 ft |
| Flower color | green, cream |
| Bloom period | May to June |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Average, Dry |
| USDA zones | 4-7 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | oblong |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Rhizomatous, spreads by root |
| Seed stratification | 60 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 1 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 2 |
| US states recorded | Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri |

## Identification

- One drooping flower cluster per stem, pale green-cream.
- Smooth blue-green leaves in widely spaced opposite pairs.
- Found only on high-quality unplowed tallgrass prairie.

## Ecology

Listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. Mid-summer haying prevents seed set, and most surviving populations are single clones that cannot self-pollinate.

## Growing

Legally protected. Do not collect seed, plants or cuttings. Report sightings to your state heritage program.

## Cautions

Federally threatened. Collection is prohibited.

## Questions

**Is any milkweed endangered?**

Yes. Mead’s milkweed (A. meadii) is federally listed as Threatened, and Welsh’s milkweed (A. welshii) is listed as Threatened in Utah and Arizona. Many more species, purple milkweed, red milkweed and wheel milkweed among them, are listed at state level.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94445-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170259
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158749
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_meadii
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20meadii.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20meadii

## Photographs

- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner.jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (1) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(1).jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (2) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(2).jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (3) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(3).jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (4) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(4).jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (5) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(5).jpg
- Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) - Flickr - Jay Sturner (6) (Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mead%27s_Milkweed_(Asclepias_meadii)_-_Flickr_-_Jay_Sturner_(6).jpg
- Asclepiasmeadii (Jason Sturner 72, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepiasmeadii.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Mead’s Milkweed (Asclepias meadii). https://milkweedusa.com/species/meads-milkweed/