Quercus

Whorled Milkweed

Asclepias verticillata

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Asclepias

  • Danaus plexippusMonarch
  • Agathodes monstralisSky-Pointing Moth
  • Cycnia collarisUnexpected Cycnia
  • Cycnia teneraDelicate Cycnia, Dogbane Tiger Moth
  • Danaus gilippusQueen
  • Euchaetes egleMilkweed Tussock Moth or Milkweed Tiger Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Show all 14
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Pygarctia eglenensis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
59BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Asclepias

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Asclepias

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Formica rufibarbis
Beetles 2
  • Trichius piger
  • Typocerus sinuatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 29
  • Archytas analis
  • Calythea albicincta
  • Cistogaster occidua
  • Ennyomma globosa
  • Eristalis latifrons
  • Exoprosopa fasciata
  • Exorista confinis
  • Graphomyia americana
  • Limnophora narona
  • Lucilia sylvarum
Show all 29
  • Orthoneura nitida
  • Paradidyma singularis
  • Phorantha purpurascens
  • Phormia regina
  • Physocephala texana
  • Physocephala tibialis
  • Sarcophaga sinuata
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Senotainia trilineata
  • Sepsis violacea
  • Siphoplagia anomala
  • Siphoplagia flaccidirostris
  • Spallanzania hesperidarum
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Systoechus vulgaris
  • Trichophora ruficauda
  • Trichopoda pennipes
  • Tropidia quadrata
  • Xanthomelana arcuata

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 9
  • Achalarus lycidas
  • Anosia plexippus
  • Argynnis cybele
  • Euphyes verna
  • Limochores taumas
  • Pholisora catullus
  • Pholisora hayhurstii
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Vanessa atalanta

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 20
  • Ammobia ichneumonea
  • Ammobia pennsylvanica
  • Anacrabro ocellatus
  • Anoplius illinoensis
  • Astatus unicolor
  • Bembix nubillipennis
  • Cerceris clypeata
  • Cerceris fulvipes
  • Cerceris raui
  • Cerceris robertsonii
Show all 20
  • Eumenes fraternus
  • Isodontia apicalis
  • Leionotus arvensis
  • Polistes variatus
  • Priononyx atrata
  • Priononyx thomae
  • Sphex nigricans
  • Tachytes distinctus
  • Tachytes mandibularis
  • Tachytes pepticus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other insects 1
  • Phymata wolffii

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Apocynaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Flower color
Green or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Whorled Milkweed

Conservation status

South Carolina rankNot available
Global rankG5
SC statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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