Milkweed in Hawaii
Hawaii has no native milkweed. Monarchs arrived in the islands in the 1840s and now breed year-round on introduced tropical milkweed and balloon plant, forming a non-migratory resident population. Because they do not migrate, the usual advice about cutting back tropical milkweed does not apply in the same way here.
All milkweed species in Hawaii
| Species | Height | Flower | Bloom | Soil | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balloon Plant Gomphocarpus physocarpus |
3 ft–6 ft | white, cream | May to October | Average | |
| Tropical Milkweed Asclepias curassavica |
2 ft–4 ft | red, orange, yellow | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Average | |
| Giant Milkweed Calotropis procera |
6 ft–12 ft | white, purple | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Dry |
Not native but naturalized here: Balloon Plant, Tropical Milkweed, Giant Milkweed. Because Hawaii has mild winters, tropical milkweed can sustain year-round monarch breeding and raise OE parasite loads, so plant a native instead.
Planting milkweed in Hawaii
Sow seed outdoors in October to December, so the seed uses winter rain. Winter then supplies the cold-moist stratification most milkweed seed needs, and germination happens naturally as the soil warms. If you have missed that window, chill seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow after your last frost. The full method is here.
Hawaii spans USDA zones 9a–13a, so check the zone range on each species page before committing. Match the species to your site rather than the other way round: dry, sunny and poor suits butterfly weed and the whorled species; a damp spot suits swamp milkweed; shade suits very few milkweeds at all.
Plant at least ten stems in one group rather than scattering them, because female monarchs find dense patches far more readily. Add late-season nectar such as goldenrod and asters so the fall migratory generation has fuel as well as host plants. How to lay out a monarch garden.
Where to buy milkweed in Hawaii
Start with Plant Pono. State native plant societies run the plant sales worth going to: locally grown, untreated stock, at a few dollars a plant, sold by people who can tell you where to put it.
In Hawaii
Hawaii has no native milkweed, so this grows the island natives that support the pollinators that do belong here.
Elsewhere in the pacific
California native plant non-profit with a nursery, a seed program and a well-known plant sale.
Independent California native seed house.
Independent California native nursery with unusually detailed species notes.
Independent southern California native plant nursery.
Independent Bay Area nursery growing local-provenance natives.
Independent Portland nursery growing Pacific Northwest natives.
Bare-root native plants and locally collected seed for restoration work, sold to the public as well as to contractors.
Puget Sound natives grown for restoration, including showy milkweed for the small east-side monarch population.
A long-established retail nursery growing Pacific Northwest natives for gardens rather than for contracts.
Locally sourced central California natives, propagated from wild seed collected in the same watersheds.
Ships to you
One of the widest milkweed seed and bare-root ranges anywhere, with germination codes listed for every species.
Long-established independent nursery specializing in Midwestern natives.
Independent seed producer supplying restoration-scale native seed by the pound.
Family-run native seed producer for the eastern and central states.
Family-run Texas seed house focused on regional ecotypes.
These favor independent nurseries and non-profits over chain garden centers, which mostly stock unlabeled tropical milkweed and often cannot tell you whether it has been treated with neonicotinoids. Search the full directory by ZIP code.
Milkweed in Hawaii: common questions
What milkweed is native to Hawaii?
0 milkweed species are recorded in Hawaii, including . The full list is on this page.
What is the best milkweed to plant in Hawaii?
Choose from the native species recorded in Hawaii and match the species to your soil moisture and light.
When should I plant milkweed seed in Hawaii?
Sow outdoors in October to December, so the seed uses winter rain, so winter provides the cold stratification the seed needs. If you have missed that window, stratify seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow in spring after the last frost.
Does milkweed grow wild in Hawaii?
Yes. 3 species occur in Hawaii, typically on roadsides, field margins, prairie remnants and along watercourses. Hawaii has no native milkweed.
Cite this page
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Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Hawaii. Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/states/hawaii/
"Milkweed in Hawaii." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/states/hawaii/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Milkweed in Hawaii." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/states/hawaii/.
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title = {Milkweed in Hawaii},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/states/hawaii/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}