Back to main Search Page

Asclepias incarnata - L.

Swamp Milkweed

Author	L.	Botanical references	43, 200
Family	Asclepiadaceae	Genus	Asclepias
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Although no specific reports have been seen for this species, many, if not all, members of this genus contain toxic resinoids, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides[274]. They are usually avoided by grazing animals[274]. The leaves and the stems might be poisonous[20].
Range	N. America - Quebec to Manitoba and Wyoming, south to Texas and New Mexico.
Habitat	Swamps, wet thickets and shores[43].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.2m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry moist or wet soil.

Habitats

Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Seedpod.

Edible Uses: Sweetener.

Unopened flower buds - cooked[46, 61, 161]. Tasting somewhat like peas[85]. They can also be dried and stored for later use[183]. Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute[85, 106]. Tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach[85]. Young seed pods, harvested when 3 - 4 cm long - cooked. A pea-like flavour, they are very appetizing[85]. The flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup[85].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anthelmintic; Carminative; Diuretic; Emetic; Laxative; Stomachic.

A tea made from the roots is anthelmintic, carminative, diuretic, emetic, strongly laxative and stomachic[4, 61, 222, 257]. The tea is said to remove tapeworms from the body in one hour[257]. It has also been used in the treatment of asthma, rheumatism, syphilis, worms and as a heart tonic[4, 207, 222]. An infusion of the roots is used as a strengthening bath for children and adults[257].

Other Uses

Fibre; Latex; Oil; Pollution; Stuffing; Wax.

A good quality fibre is obtained from the bark[46, 57, 61, 95, 112, 169]. It is used in twine, cloth etc[112]. It is easily harvested in late autumn, after the plants have died down, by simply pulling it off the dead stems[112]. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth[57, 171]. It is a Kapok substitute, it is used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material[169, 171]. It is very water repellent. The floss has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and stems[57]. Pods contain an oil and a wax which are of potential importance[171].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained light rich or peaty soil[1, 200]. Requires a moist soil and a sunny position, doing well by water[111, 134]. Succeeds on dry soils and on all soil types[112]. Plants are hardy to at least -25°c[187]. A very ornamental plant[1], the flowers are very attractive to butterflies[169]. The flower of many members of this genus can trap insects between its anther cells, the struggles of the insect in escaping ensure the pollination of the plant[207]. Many members of this genus seem to be particularly prone to damage by slugs. The young growth in spring is especially vulnerable, but older growth is also attacked and even well-established plants have been destroyed in wet years[K]. Plants resent root disturbance and are best planted into their final positions whilst small[134].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn or in late winter[134, 169]. We have also had good results from sowing the seed in the greenhouse in early spring[K], though stored seed might need 2 - 3 weeks cold stratification[134]. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 3 months at 18°c[134]. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out when they are in active growth in late spring or early summer and give them some protection from slugs until they are growing away strongly. Division in spring. With great care since the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and place them in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly, then plant them out in the summer, giving them some protection from slugs until they are established.. Basal cuttings in late spring. Use shoots about 10cm long with as much of their white underground stem as possible. Pot them up individually and place them in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse until they are rooting and growing actively. If the plants grow sufficiently, they can be put into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in the greenhouse until the following spring and when they are in active growth plant them out into their permanent positions. Give them some protection from slugs until they are established.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Milkweeds.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. 0
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[112] Whiting. A. G. A Summary of the Literature on Milkweeds (Asclepias spp) and their utilization. 0
A technical paper covering the many uses of the genus Asclepias.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. 0
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden. 0
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[274] Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999 ISBN 1-889878-01-4
An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Asclepias incarnata

Louie Thu Dec 19 21:27:45 2002

I'm looking for a plant which best for reducing carbon dioxide indoors, but I couldn't find that information here.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

John Sullivan Mon Jul 7 2008

Great site. Yes, I grow many types of Milkweed and I have no problem with snails or any crawling pest. I have a special area for the milkweeds and it's electrified by a 6 v battery with 2 copper wires going around the perimiter about 1/3 of an inch apart. If anything tried to get in, you find it dead either near or on the wire mechanism.

Asclepias incarnata

Fri Aug 21 2009

The table at the beginning of ths section lists the plant as hazardous and may be poisonous. Below however there are edible parts. So is it or not poisonous when eaten fresh or just as a tea? Thanks Robert

Asclepias incarnata

David (volunteer) Fri Aug 21 2009

Thanks for pointing this out, Googling "Aslepias incarnata" and "toxic" it seems the plant is definately toxic. This info must not have been available at the time of writing (a while back). Obviously there has been a tradition of eating it without any ill-effects being noticed, this suggests you'd have to eat a lot for irreversible damage but it may be one of those nasty toxins that slowly build up in the system. With more obscure foods sometimes the science is simply incomplete, I can't find anything saying it is one of those toxins that are destroyed by heat or drying. I would'nt eat much of it on present info.

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).