variegated milkweed

variegated milkweed (Asclepias variegata) Photo © Jan Sundberg

FEATURES
Variegated milkweed, also known as red-ring milkweed, grows up to three feet in height. Pairs of leaves are arranged opposite each other on the stem. Seedpods are up to five inches in length. Flowers are positioned at the stem tip and in leaf axils and are white with purple centers.

BEHAVIORS
Variegated milkweed flowers May through July. It is found in the southern one-fourth of Illinois. This species grows in rocky woods.

​Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Asclepiadaceae