# White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)

> Tight snowball clusters of pure white flowers, each ringed with a fine purple-red band at its base, glowing in the half-shade of southeastern oak and pine woods. The most striking white-flowered milkweed in North America.

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

## Summary

Tight snowball clusters of pure white flowers, each ringed with a fine purple-red band at its base, glowing in the half-shade of southeastern oak and pine woods. The most striking white-flowered milkweed in North America.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias variegata L. |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | White Milkweed, Redring Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 1.5 ft–3.5 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | white |
| Bloom period | May to July |
| Light | Part shade, Shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, Average |
| USDA zones | 5-9 |
| 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) | 3 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 4 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 4 |
| US states recorded | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia |

## Identification

- Dense, almost spherical clusters of white flowers, unlike the loose heads of poke milkweed.
- A distinct dark red or purple ring where the hoods meet the corolla.
- Broad dark green leaves in well-spaced opposite pairs.
- Woodland and woodland-edge habitat.

## Ecology

An important nectar source for woodland butterflies and a modest monarch host in southeastern forests.

## Growing

Beautiful and well behaved in a shaded native garden with good drainage. Slow from seed; scarce in the trade.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94717-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170272
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/127691
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_variegata
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20variegata.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20variegata

## Photographs

- Asclepias variegata (Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_variegata.jpg
- Asclepias variegata 2 (Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_variegata_2.jpg
- Asclepias variegata (2022) (sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_variegata_(2022).jpg
- Asclepias variegata - 52074145290 (sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_variegata_-_52074145290.jpg
- Scarab beetle on Redring Milkweed (James Leon Young, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scarab_beetle_on_Redring_Milkweed.jpg
- Milkweed Atlanta State Park Texas 2023 (Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milkweed_Atlanta_State_Park_Texas_2023.jpg
- White Milkweed photographed in Allegany County, US-MD, US (Tom Field, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/121521691
- White Milkweed photographed in Indian Point Trail (Daniel S. Katz, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119510161

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata). https://milkweedusa.com/species/white-milkweed/