Hardiness zones
Sunset 11-13
USDA 9 - 11 (arid zones only)

Landscape Use: Seasonal accent plant for dry landscapes.

Form & Character: Erect stiff, open, airy, and informal.

Growth Habit: Perennial herbaceous dicot, generally basal clumping and erect. Moderate grower from 2' to 5' in height depending on if irrigated or not.

Foliage/Texture: Green to gray green stems, leafless except for new growth; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Small, terminal creamy yellow flowers forming flat-topped umbels during spring through fall. Fruit is horn shaped to 3" long.

Seasonal Color: Subtle flower accent during growing season, most intense in spring.

Temperature: Very heat tolerant, cold tolerant to 18^oF

Light: Full sun.

Soil: Prefers sandy well drained soils

Watering: Little to none

Pruning: Head back severely to rejuvenate

Propagation: Seed, stem cuttings

Disease and pests: None

Additional comments: Surging popularity as a desert accent plant. Stem latex is a source of rubber and might cause a minor dermatitis upon contact. Attracts butterflies, forage source for the Monarch and Striated Queen butterflies. There are 17 species of Asclepias found in the western US at many different elevations.

The genus Asclepias is named after the greek god Asklepios, the god of medicine.