Extremely rare in the trade, this Monarch butterfly host and nectar source displays lovely smallish deep pink flowers in clusters on upright stems above attractively veined blue-green oval shaped leaves. Native to the Western US (Arizona, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico) it will reach 3’ tall in rich, moist soil and attain lesser height in poor, drier, sandy soil. Not much info exists yet for this scarcely grown Milkweed – let us know how you like it! Summer bloomer.
USE OF BT UPDATE:
We are pleased to announce that the California Department of Agriculture has recently lifted its requirement that our nursery use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), as a naturally occurring biological insecticide (also commonly used on organically grown fruits and vegetables), as control against LBAM (Light Brown Apple Moth) within the State of California. As a result we are no longer using BT in our nursery. Bt was known to be toxic to caterpillars, particularly the Monarch butterfly caterpillar, which is why we had always advised our customers to wait a growing season (or approximately one year) before introducing Monarch caterpillars to any Asclepia (Milkweed) plants to ensure the plants are large enough to provide sufficient food and the BT has had time to wear off.