Asclepias curassavica

Algodoncillo / Tropical Milkweed

Asclepias curassavica

Regions: Mexico to Argentina

Winter dormant

There are many species of Asclepias, yet all of them serve an important ecological function: They are the host plant for Monarch butterflies. As if by magic, Monarch butterflies find this plant wherever it is, and lay their eggs on it. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars eat the plant, the leaves of which contains toxins poisonous to potential predators of the caterpillars. Different species of Asclepias mark the migration path of Monarchs from the Northeast and Midwest US down to Mexico.