Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Quick Facts

• Type: wildflower
• Size: 3-5 ft tall
• Sun: full
• Water: high
• Soil: Wet soils; pond edges and swales
• USDA zones: 8-10

Vanilla-scented pink flower clusters in summer feed a parade of butterflies; monarch caterpillars devour the leaves.

The milkweed for wet spots; unlike butterfly weed it tolerates transplanting when young.

In the Landscape

The milkweed for rain gardens, swales, pond edges, and any consistently moist sunny spot. Pairs beautifully with Joe-Pye weed and ironweed.

Care & Propagation

Plant in full sun in moist to wet soil and water steadily until established — it sulks in dry sand. Cut back in late fall after the seed pods form, and leave some pods for winter interest. It self-sows modestly.

Sow seeds in fall or cold-stratify and sow in spring. Unlike butterfly weed, young plants tolerate transplanting, so it's the easiest milkweed to start from nursery pots.

Wildlife Value

A monarch host plant whose vanilla-scented pink clusters are a butterfly magnet. Expect monarch caterpillars to strip the leaves clean — that's the whole point of planting it.

🌱 Fun fact: Its flowers smell distinctly of vanilla, making swamp milkweed one of the few milkweeds you can identify with your nose.

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🌴 In Florida

The milkweed for wet spots; unlike butterfly weed it tolerates transplanting when young.

🌿 Keep exploring

More Florida natives worth meeting:

• Alligator Flag (Thalia geniculata)
• American White Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)
• Anisescented Goldenrod (Solidago odora)