# Plains Milkweed (Asclepias pumila)

> A knee-high-at-most tuft of fine, almost dill-like foliage carrying tiny cream flowers, scattered across shortgrass prairie from Montana to the Texas Panhandle. Easily mistaken for a grass until it blooms.

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

## Summary

A knee-high-at-most tuft of fine, almost dill-like foliage carrying tiny cream flowers, scattered across shortgrass prairie from Montana to the Texas Panhandle. Easily mistaken for a grass until it blooms.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias pumila (A. Gray) Vail |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Plains Milkweed, Low Milkweed, Dwarf Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 4 in–1 ft |
| Spread | 6 in–1.5 ft |
| Flower color | white, cream |
| Bloom period | June to September |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 3-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | alternate |
| Leaf shape | threadlike |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Rhizomatous, spreads by root |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 2 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming |

## Identification

- Rarely over a foot tall, with crowded thread-fine alternate leaves.
- Small white to cream flower clusters at the stem tips.
- Grows in dense shortgrass and on hard-packed prairie soils where taller milkweeds cannot compete.

## Ecology

A genuine shortgrass-prairie specialist. Monarchs use it in the western Great Plains where larger species are absent, and it is important to small native bees on otherwise flowerless rangeland.

## Growing

Very drought- and cold-hardy; suited to gravel gardens, green roofs and rock gardens. Spreads slowly by rhizome into a low patch.

## Cautions

Narrow-leaved and moderately toxic; a minor component of rangeland poisoning risk.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:21273-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170288
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158756
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20pumila.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20pumila

## Photographs

- Asclepias pumila NPS-1 (Jim Pisarowicz, Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_pumila_NPS-1.jpg
- Asclepias pumila (14904826353) (peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_pumila_(14904826353).jpg
- Asclepias pumila kz01 (Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_pumila_kz01.jpg
- Asclepias pumila kz02 (Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_pumila_kz02.jpg
- Asclepias pumila in Oregon (a78a4587-9690-4d14-b8d3-8da6515d2689) (NPS Photo, Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_pumila_in_Oregon_(a78a4587-9690-4d14-b8d3-8da6515d2689).jpg
- Plains Milkweed photographed in SW Ninth Ave, Amarillo, TX, US (Reid Hardin, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/88752441
- Plains Milkweed photographed in Burns Ranch, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA (Alaina Krakowiak, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/89951321
- Plains Milkweed photographed in Perry Township, SD, USA (Jeff Hansen, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/295744403

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Plains Milkweed (Asclepias pumila). https://milkweedusa.com/species/plains-milkweed/