The Milkweeds

Every so often in our researches we come across a plant with so many uses that we wonder why it has never been commercially exploited. One such group of plant - all of them ideal for the Permaculturalist - is the Milkweeds (Asclepias species) from North America. The genus Asclepias contains over a hundred species of mainly perennial herbs growing in temperate and topical regions. We will look at four of these species:-

A. incarnata Swamp Milkweed

Growing to 4ft in swamps, wet thickets and on shores.

A. speciosa Showy Milkweed

Growing to 2.5ft on prairies in sandy and loamy, usually moist soils.

A. syriaca Common Milkweed

Growing to 3ft in thickets, roadsides, dry fields and waste places.

A. tuberosa Pleurisy Root

Growing to 2ft in dry, open soils.

Virtually all parts of these plants are edible when cooked though there are reports that large quantities can cause stomach upsets. The young shoots, gathered in April-May, can be used as an asparagus substitute whilst the younger parts of old shoots can be cooked like spinach.

Young flower buds have a delicious pea-like flavour as do the very young seed pods (before the seed floss is produced). The flowers are used as a flavouring and a thickener in soups and were also harvested in the early morning when dew was still on them and then boiled down to make a sugary syrup. In hot weather the flowers often produce so much nectar that it forms crystalline lumps. This can either be sucked or picked off the flowers and is a real delicacy. In our experience to date A. tuberosa is the most likely to do this. A. tuberosa, as the name suggests, also produces a tuberous root and this is edible when cooked, with a nutty flavour. The seed of all species are said to be edible raw but we have not tried them, they certainly do look very interesting.

All these edible qualities, though, are just one aspect of the plants uses, they have much more to offer. All the species produce a tough fibre in their stems. This can be used to make cloth, twine, etc and was traditionally harvested from the dead stems in autumn and winter, a fairly simple process. Dry summers produce the strongest fibres.

Mature seed pods contain quite large quantities of floss. This is a lovely white silky material with a number of applications. It can be used as a kapok substitute for stuffing soft toys etc, and being very water repellant, it has been used in life preservers where its buoyancy can keep a person afloat for days. Although difficult to spin on its own, it can be mixed with other fibres to make cloth and it has also been used for making candle wicks.

The plants also contains a latex which can be extracted and made into a good quality rubber. This latex is largely found in the leaves, is produced mainly in hot weather when grown on drier soils and is destroyed by frost. Concentrations vary and are considered to be too low for commercial exploitation. The latex has also been used as a chewing gum and regular applications are said to be a cure for warts.

The seeds contain up to 20% of an edible semi-drying oil. This oil can be used in making soap etc, though, since the seed is quite light, vast quantities of plants would need to be grown in order to obtain reasonable quantities of oil. The plants also have medicinal applications, for more details on these you should consult a good herbal such as 'A modern Herbal' by Mrs M Grieve.

Plants are very easily raised from seed, sown in a cold greenhouse from February to April. Seedlings should be potted up when quite young since they resent much root disturbance. Plant them out in their permanent positions in early summer and look out for slugs. If the plants have been well grown and are in vigorous growth then they are normally alright but any weaker plants are likely to disappear. We have had very little trouble with older plants. If done with great care, plants can be divided in spring when they come into active growth though We have not done this myself since seed is so easy.

One final thought - all of the above plant uses come from wild grown plants, there has been no attempt made, for example, to increase the latex content by selective breeding. We feel that there is vast potential with this group of plants and with many other species for improvements in yield, flavours, etc.

(You might also like to have a look at Milkweeds and Monarch Caterpillars a site with a lot of info about the plant and about the catapillers which like them. )

Database

The database has more details on these plants: Asclepias incarnata, Asclepias speciosa, Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias tuberosa.

Readers Comments

The Milkweeds

Sheila Chmuhalek Sat 27 Sept 1997

I found your web site while I was searching for information on milkweed, and the milkweeds page showed up. I am a professor of textiles at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Congratulations on having such an interesting site. I'll be back.

Has your group thought about plants as dyes? I found the page on fibre but was surprised that dyes weren't mentioned. If anyone's interested, Milkweed is a terrific dye source, as well.

The Milkweeds

Thu Apr 12 00:38:39 2001

Your web site is very informative. I ran into it when I was looking for "How To Feed A Catapiller".I am 10 years old and likes web sites without many pictures. Thank you for your information.

The Milkweeds

David Raymond Wed May 30 00:17:57 2001

I ran across an article on commercial trials of milkweed as a kapok -fluff-producer in the US. I will try to track it down for you. The US military, or agriculture department, initially looked at milkweed as a source for a petroleum substitute in the event of war. As you note, it is not very productive in that respect. So there is now research on the use of the fluff, which is as warm as down but does not mat down when it gets wet. Keep up the good work. David Raymond

The Milkweeds

Sat Sep 29 ,1134

Milkweeds are poisonious dweebs

The Milkweeds

Rene Anderson Fri Nov 23 18:09:40 2001

This site really helped on my report in the interesting facts section thanks! I never knew that you could make cloth out of the silk!

The Milkweeds

Kate Lamb Sun Feb 10 18:03:02 2002

Great site! Would love some more info on the making of twine and such as I have been searching for this sort of information and your site has been the best by far! I am 15 and want to learn more about natural resources!

The Milkweeds

DONN FAULKNER Mon Jun 30 19:44:18 2003

HI, I HAVE MADE GREAT WINE FROM THE MILK WEED FLOWER IS THERE A PROBLEM ???

The Milkweeds

Breeze "like the wind" Sun Aug 3 07:29:22 2003

verry informative i'ts funny I also came upon this site whle trying to find out what to feed a catapiller and im 24 anyways i learned alot about this plant thank you

The Milkweeds

Charlis Meador Sun Sep 14 02:01:43 2003

I think this is probably the article about milkweed fibre production that David Raymond is referring to: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-428.html

The Milkweeds

buzz Mon Jun 7 22:09:56 2004

as to hybridpunk, or punkass. the story of milkweeds is incredible.these so called weeds are an untapped resource so called weeds are an untapped rich resource of fibers,food,dyes,and latex. not to mention the connection to butterflies. the flowers of asclepias verticillata are rather small but the fragrance is awesome,(rivals any french perfume ). take a whiff you'll be surprised!!!!!!!!

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

John Barr Sun May 29 2005

Milkweeds contain cardiac glycocides(?) which can be harmful. These glycocides are what make the monarch and other milkweeds butterflys and bugs distasteful to birdds and other preditors. The monarchwatch litserve contains anicdotal incidence (multiple) of reversable blindness following handeling of milkweed plants including some of the species you mentioned. Cattle have been made sick by consuming hay with some varieties of milkweed. I have never heard of eating the plants without multiple water changes to rid them of the toxins. I am surprised to not see any mention of these issues in your article. Otherwise an interesting site.

MonarchWatch

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

David Gradwohl, Ames, Iowa 8 December 2005 Thu Dec 8 2005

I ran across your interesting website while googling "kapok", looking for information on the Ceiba trees my wife and I saw recently in the Amazonian rain forests. Your website brought back memories of my boyhood during World War II. There was a need for kapok for use in life preservers. So my buddies and I went out into the countryside and collected milkweed pods to contribute to the war effort. We "processed" the plant materials in the basement recreation room at my parents' house. At one point, one of my buddies hit me over the shoulder with a milkweed branch, and I responded in kind. A milkweed pod war broke out, and there were seeds on silky parachutes all over the room. It looked like a snowstorm. We eventually got milkweed pods packaged up, and the recreation room cleaned up. But my mother reported that twenty years later when they moved to a new house, the moving men rolled out the upright piano from the recreation room and were greeted by a large cloud of milkweed seeds!

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Duckie Sat Apr 29 2006

hi, i'm just wondering, are these species toxic? some people are saying they are and i'd like to hear what you have to say about that. anyway, good site, very useful

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Noadi Sun Jul 23 2006

Milkweed leaves do contain some toxins, this is what makes Monarch butterflies and their catterpillars distasteful to predators. I don't know how harmful to humans it is or at what quantities so I'd be careful eating it.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

JAKE SMITH Sat Sep 16 2006

MY GRANDDAUGHTER WAS PLAYING WITH MILKWEEDS AND GOT THEM IN HER EYS. SHE WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN. ARE THEY POISON TO THE EYES?

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Ken Fern Mon Sep 18 2006

The only records of toxicity we have for these plants are related to eating them - they can cause stomach upsets if not cooked properly. I can think of three possible ways in which milkweeds might cause external irritation. First, the sap contains a latex. Perhaps this could have an irritant effect. Second, in late summer and autumn the plants produce masses of seed floss. Whilst this is non-irritant, is it possible your granddaughter got some caught in her eyes? Third, could she have poked herself with some of the stems? Apart from this, I suggest there may have been something else amongst the milkweed that caused the problem. There is an excellent American Government site giving information on their native plants (including toxicity). Visit http://plants.usda.gov/ for more information.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Sharon Sat Oct 14 2006

The recommendations I've read about for eating young milkweed pods indicate that the pods must be cooked in two changes of boiling water without allowing the pods to cool between water changes to extract the milky sap. It is the sap which causes stomach upset. Source: Wilderness Survival by Mark Elbroch and Mike Pewtherer.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

mike Pewtherer Fri Dec 1 2006

I have harvested and eaten milkweed pods and treated them in the following manner: Heat one pot of water to boiling and cook pods until water is milky (about 3-4 min). Heat a second pot of water and once hot add the pods (do not add pods to cold water). Two changes of water are usually sufficient though not always. I have felt rather uncomfortable in my stomach after eating poorly "cleaned" milkweed pods. Actually I felt awfully sick for a few hours.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Brent Long Sat Dec 2 2006

I have eaten showy milkweed flowers here in Utah several times. My favorite way is sauteeed in butter. They are delicious! No blindness problem for me.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Rasverne Dumalanta Sat Mar 17 2007

this kind of site is very interesting!! it helps me a lot to my researches can i ask a question what kind of butterfly use milk weed as a plant host?? pls answer my question i need this to my research project!! pls tnx

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future Sun Mar 18 2007

The flowers of Asclepias species are a rich source of nectar and attract many different species of butterfly to feed on them. In addition, they are also the food plant of the caterpillars of several species of butterflies including the North American Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Asclepias species contain quantities of cardiac glycosides in their leaves. Whilst the larvae can feed upon these leaves without any harm to themselves, they do accumulate these glycosides in their bodies, making them unpalatable to birds. This provides a chemical defence for the larvae, the pupae, and the adult butterflies. Any bird unwise enough to try and eat even one Monarch caterpillar, larvae or butterfly will quickly reject it and in future avoid any other Monarchs.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future Sun Mar 18 2007

The flowers of Asclepias species are a rich source of nectar and attract many different species of butterfly to feed on them. In addition, they are also the food plant of the caterpillars of several species of butterflies including the North American Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Asclepias species contain quantities of cardiac glycosides in their leaves. Whilst the caterpillars can feed upon these leaves without any harm to themselves, they do accumulate these glycosides in their bodies, making them unpalatable to birds. This provides a chemical defence for the larvae, the pupae, and the adult butterflies. Any bird unwise enough to try and eat even one Monarch caterpillar, larvae or butterfly will quickly reject it and in future avoid any other Monarchs.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

sasha halD Sun May 6 2007

I always thought the sap of the milkweed was poisinous, and can any of you explain to me how to make dyes from wild plants?

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Ron Schwarz Thu May 10 2007

I'll second what John Barr and others have said, and I must wonder whether the person who wrote the article has ever actually prepared milkweed for food, or if he's just putting pen to something he's heard. Milkweed is so bitter as to be inedible unless given several boiling water baths before cooking.

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Rebecca Smith Tue May 15 2007

This site brings back childhood memories for me too, in the 70s in western New York State ... the hill behind our house was full of milkweeds, and my brothers and I played with them a LOT. Never thought of eating them, but I do remember very sturdy stalks -- making cording etc. from that could well work! Is it easier to "process" than stinging nettle (also a great natural resource)? AND: I now live in Europe (southeastern Germany) -- anyone know of Milkweed here??

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

jose Sun Aug 19 2007

I grow two different species of milkweed and I was wondering, whats up with the aphids?? Several sources have said that its a normal part of the life cycle, but refused to say which organism's life cycle or anything else. Anyone know about this?

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

paz b reyes Tue Sep 4 2007

Highly informative particularly for one who is out searching for a plant that has a future for our farmers in Samar Philippines. May we know where we can get the seeds of these wonderful plants?

The Milkweeds Asclepias species

Carl Weber Tue Dec 25 2007

When we were young in Michigan around 1940to 1945 we used to boil and eat milkweed which I thought was quite tasty at the time. Also during WW II we picked Milkweed pods on school trips and they were supposed to have been sent to the Army. I never knew how the pods were used.

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