Native Plants

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Tuesday - March 31, 2015

From: Sarasota, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: General Botany, Wildflowers
Title: Is Common Milkweed a Succulent?
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

Is the common milkweed (butterfly plant) classified as a succulent?

ANSWER:

Asclepias syriaca, the common milkweed is a different species from the beautiful butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) but they are closely related and in the Asclepiadaceae family.

Merriam-Webster says that a succulent (relating to plants) is one having fleshy tissues that conserve moisture. While there are some members of the Asclepiadaceae family that have storage organs to conserve moisture and are classified as succulents, the common milkweed and butterfly weed are not in this group. Take a look at the Succulent Plant Page under the Asclepiadaceae family for information about which plants in this family are classed as succulents.

From the Image Gallery

Common milkweed
Asclepias syriaca

Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa