The Swamp Milkweed is Blooming

Check in wetlands and along marshy borders of ponds for clusters of rose-purple flowers on stems with opposite leaves.

This native perennial is variable in size, from 2-6', depending on environmental conditions. The central stem branches occasionally into several side stems. The opposite leaves are up to 6" long and 1½" across. They are lanceolate or narrowly ovate, with smooth margins, and hairless. Several umbels of whitish-pink flowers appear at the ends of major stems. Each flower is about ¼" across, with 5 upright white hoods near the center, and 5 surrounding pink petals that are reflexed downward in the manner of most milkweeds. The blooming period occurs during late summer and lasts about a month. There is a pleasant floral scent that resembles cinnamon. The seedpods are 4" long and narrow, tapering to a point at both ends. They occur in pairs, and release seeds with long tufts of white fuzz to the wind during the fall. The root system consists of a taproot, and short rhizomes that promote the vegetative spread of this plant.

Swamp milkweed is easily distinguished from other milkweeds by its erect umbels of pink flowers, tall branching habit, and more narrow leaves than such species as Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed).

Reference : Iverson, L., D. Ketner, & J. Karners (1999) Illinois Plant Information Network. Database, Illinois Natural History Survey & USDA Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/ilpin.html

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