Asclepias incarnata ssp. pulchra – Eastern Swamp Milkweed – 1-Quart

There’s not much difference between the two subspecies of swamp milkweed, Eastern swamp milkweed (A. incarnata ssp. pulchra) and Western swamp milkeweed (A. incarnata ssp. incarnata). Despite the common name, Western swamp milkweed occurs in New York, indeed it’s more common in New York than Eastern swamp milkweed. Eastern swamp milkweed tends to be a more upright plant with little branching of its stout stems and has foliage with considerably more short hairs on the underside of the foliage. Horticulturally they are quite similar and monarch butterflies don’t appear to favor either subspecies. Very often we don’t even bother to identify swamp milkweed down to subspecies – in this case we are getting starter plants from another grower and are keeping the subspecies identification.