October 2007
Ohio Prairie Plant of the MonthSpecies
Common Name Tall Green Milkweed
Latin Name: Asclepias hirtella [Pronounced: "ass-KLEEP-ee-uss hir-TELL-uh"]
Type of Plant: Forb
Identification Helps: A tall, thin milkweed, to 4 ft. Narrow leaves and narrow, erect pods, as in photo to left. Flowers in July and August, sometimes September.
Similar Species: Whorled milkweed, Asclepias verticillata, has narrow leaves, but they are much smaller, as is the plant, seldom taller than two feet..
Preferred Growing Conditions in the Wild: Grows only in drier, silty or sandy soils.
Seasons of Growth and Bloom: Blooms from late July through August, occasionally into September.
Natural Distribution in Ohio: Found in the Oak Openings west of Toledo, the Firelands Prairie in Erie County, and in prairies in a number of counties in central southern Ohio.
Description and General Information: Tall Green Milkweed is generally uncommon in Ohio prairies, with a few exceptions. It is not present on the neither the priaries of the Sandusky Plains or those of the Darby Plains. It is scattered in prairies in southern Ohio. At the NASA Plum Brook StationIn the Firelands Prairie of Erie County, the species is exceptionally common. It is also found in reasonable numbers at the nearby Erie Sand Barrens State Nature.