Red Tropical Milkweed Seeds, Asclepias curassavica

Description

Asclepias curassavica  has a few nicknames  Tropical Milkweed and Blood Flower to name a few.  These  Red Tropical have red buds that open into striking flowers that are both yellow and orange making it an attractant for the Monarch butterflies as well as a host plant with prime egg laying leaves for their young.  The plentiful smaller leaves provide much food for dozens of growing monarch caterpillars.  This is a tropical species that grows as an annual in the northern regions that freeze over winter and a perennial in the areas that don’t freeze. 

Sowing. Soak seeds 24-48 hours in warm water.  Surface Sow Tropical seeds  when the ground temps have warmed into the 60’s – 70’s.  They need sunlight, moisture and warmth to germinate. (Do not refrigerate seeds they do not need cold stratified). Can be started indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost.

Growing.  Asclepias curassavica  is a tropical species but can be grown as an annual  in the north or as a container plant and brought indoors over the winter.  It will do best if the soil is kept moist but will tolerate some dryness. You can cut it back at any time to promote new growth just be sure to carefully inspect any cuttings for small monarch larvae and eggs. Eggs are very small.  Each plant will fill out and grow up to 5’ tall, providing a lot of food for the caterpillars. The roots will not spread but they may self-seed and I’ve found the young seedlings can be transplanted easily.