Asclepias incarnata

The Pink Swamp Milkweed, being a milkweed, is important support for the Monarch butterflies But it is also a stunning perennial wildlfower and therefore deserving of a place in the perennial border. Even though it is found in wet meadows and swamp margins, it is also happy in a well drained upland garden soil in full or mostly full sun. It has a tap root and multiple stems which grow four to five feet high each season. Leaves are tapering and willow-like, and its pink, upright, fragrant flowers occur in somewhat flat umbels at the top of the stems in June-August. Like other milkweeds, it has a white, milky exudate from cut stems, and pods releasing seeds with silky, fluffy tails. In addition to serving as a food source for the Monarch larvae, the flowers provide a nectar source for adult butterflies of many types, and for bees as well. It is reported to occur in most of our states excepting the West coast, and in NC it is found mostly in mountain and upper piedmont counties.