Asclepias tuberosa

Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly weed, is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.

Description

A small shrub. It grows 60-90 cm high. It spreads 30 cm wide. It has a large tuberous root. It is a milkweed which does not have milky juice. It has a woody base and keeps growing from year to year. The stems are erect and hairy. The leaves are narrow and sword shaped. They are 10-14 cm long. They are on crowded stems. The flowers are orange coloured. They occur in heads. The fruit are pointed weed heads 15 cm long.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Oil Root Seedpod Shoots Edible Uses: Oil Sweetener Edible parts (after boiling): Leaves and flowers; roots edible but poor quality. Flavor: Leaves vegetable-like and palatable; flowers decent but inferior to other milkweeds; roots bitter, resinous, and unpalatable. Preparation: Boil once; water change not always needed [2-3]. Whilst most parts of this plant have been used as food, some caution is advised since large doses can cause diarrhoea and vomiting - see the notes above on toxicity. Flower buds - cooked. They taste somewhat like peas. Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute. The tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach. Young seed pods - cooked. Harvested when 3 - 4 cm long and before the seed floss begins to form, they are very appetizing. The flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup. In hot weather the flowers produce so much nectar that it crystallises out into small lumps which can be eaten like sweets, they are delicious. Root - cooked. A nutty flavour. Some reports say that it is poisonous. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. The seed is very small, however, and commercial usage would not be very viable.

Traditional Uses

CAUTION: It contains a glucoside asclepiadin. It is poisonous. Tender shoots, roots and young seed pods are cooked as vegetables. Flowers are used as a sweetener. The flower nectar crystallizes and can be eaten.

Medicinal Uses

Antispasmodic Carminative Cathartic Diaphoretic Diuretic Dysentery Expectorant Poultice Tonic Vasodilator Pleurisy root is a bitter, nutty-flavoured tonic herb that increases perspiration, relieves spasms and acts as an expectorant. It was much used by the North American Indians and acquired a reputation as a heal-all amongst the earlier white settlers. Its main use in present day herbalism is for relieving the pain and inflammation of pleurisy. The root is antispasmodic, carminative, mildly cathartic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, tonic and vasodilator. The root was very popular as a medicinal herb for the treatment of a range of lung diseases, it was considered especially useful as an expectorant. It has never been scientifically examined and warrants further investigation. It has also been used internally with great advantage in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, rheumatism etc. Use with caution, This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women. See also the notes above on toxicity. The root is harvested in the autumn and can be used fresh or dried. A poultice of the dried, powdered roots is used in the treatment of swellings, bruises, wounds, ulcers, lameness etc.

Known Hazards

The plant contains toxic glycosides, alkaloids and resinoids. These can cause weakness, seizures and corneal injuries. Use of the plant is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or with infants due to its toxins, which include resinoids and pregnanes.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in sandy areas but is best in rich peaty soils. It needs an open sunny position. It is resistant to frost but damaged by drought. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Where It Grows

Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, North America, USA,

Cultivation

Experimental Crop Industrial Crop: Hydrocarbon Management: Hay. Prefers a well-drained light, rich or peaty soil. Prefers a sandy soil and a sunny position. Prefers a slightly acid soil. Prefers a dry soil. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. Another report says that this species is only suited to the warmer areas of Britain. A very ornamental plant, but it is not easy to establish or to keep in British gardens. Resents root disturbance, plants should be pot-grown from seed and planted out in their permanent positions when young. Plants are particularly at risk from slugs, however, and some protection will probably be required until the plants are established and also in the spring when the new shoots come into growth. The flower can trap insects between its anther cells, the struggles of the insect in escaping ensure the pollination of the plant. Form: Perennial herb, 30–90 cm tall. Leaves: Narrow, alternate, hairy. Flowers: Bright orange umbels, showy. Roots: Fleshy, tuberous. Bloom: May–September. Hardiness: USDA zones 3–9. Weed Potential: Non-invasive.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn or in late winter. We have also had good results from sowing the seed in the greenhouse in early spring, though stored seed might need 2 - 3 weeks cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 3 months at 18°c. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out when they are in active growth in late spring or early summer and give them some protection from slugs until they are growing away strongly. Division in spring. With great care since the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and place them in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly, then plant them out in the summer, giving them some protection from slugs until they are established.. Basal cuttings in late spring. Use shoots about 10cm long with as much of their white underground stem as possible. Pot them up individually and place them in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse until they are rooting and growing actively. If the plants grow sufficiently, they can be put into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in the greenhouse until the following spring and when they are in active growth plant them out into their permanent positions. Give them some protection from slugs until they are established.

Other Uses

Fibre Latex Oil Pollution Stuffing A good quality fibre is obtained from the bark and is used in making twine, cloth etc. It is easily harvested in late autumn after the plant has died down by simply pulling the fibres off the dried stems. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth. It is a kapok substitute, used in life jackets or as a stuffing material. Very water repellent. The floss has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. The plant is a potential source of latex, used for making rubber. This species is the only member of the genus that does not have latex in its sap. The seedpods contain an oil and a wax which are of potential importance. Candle wicks are made from the seed floss. The seed contains up to 21% of a semi-drying oil. The dogbane-milkweed family Asclepias, Apocynum, Calotropis, and Trachomitum spp) has been used for fiber industrial crops for millennia with a number in cultivation as regional crops. All of these crops are dual-purpose fibres, offering bast fibres from the stem and seed finer or ‘floss’ in the fruit pods. Many have also been identified as potential hydrocarbon crops due to high latex content. Could be integrated into various agroforestry systems rather than as monocultures [1-1]. Special Uses Carbon Farming

Notes

There are 100 Asclepias species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Canada root, Chieger flower, Chigger flower, Fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, Orange milkweed, Orange root, Tuberroot

References (18)

• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 44
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 107
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 152
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 144

More from Apocynaceae

🌱

Pachycymbium laticorona

🌱

Pachycymbium sprengeri

Baqibaqi

Pachypodium bispinosum

Pachypodium namaquanum

Elephant's trunk, Halfmens

Pacouria boliviensis

Pacori-acu

Pacouria guianensis