Asclepias viridiflora Raf.

Green Flower Milkweed; Green Comet Milkweed

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Green Comet Milkweed is a native herbaceous perennial in the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae). It can be found throughout much of Alabama. Green Comet Milkweed occurs in dry forests openings, in prairies, in cedar glades, in pastures, and on roadsides. It most often occurs in areas with heavy chalk or clay soils. Green Comet Milkweed is a perennial from an elongate taproot. It usually occurs as single, upright, unbranched stem that is 1-2 feet in height. The stem is green or purplish in color and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, short petiolate to sessile, elliptic to lanceolate in outline, entire, and pubescent. The leaves are often undulate (wavy). Both stems and leaves contain a milky white sap. Flowers are produced in umbels from the axils of the upper leaves. Each plant has 1-4 umbels and each umbel has 15-45 flowers. Flowers are green to yellowish brown in color. Each flower has 5 erect hoods, 5 deflexed petals, and 5 deflexed sepals. Horns are lacking. The fruit is an erect follicle with numerous flat circular seed. The seed have a tuff of white hairs at their apex that aids in wind dispersal. Green Comet Milkweed is rarely available from native plant nurseries. It prefers a well-draining soil in full sun.--A. Diamond

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Native

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