mwtracker's Identifications

Asclepias longifolia growing in my garden. Notice the reddish tint on the edge of the leaves and on the stem of the plant that differentiates it from Asclepias hirtella, which has green stems and no red at the edges of the leaves. Asclepias longifolia also has new growth with a reddish color, whereas Asclepias hirtella buds out in a clear green color, matching the color of the plant. Asclepias longifolia also has a more white flower color with more purple prominent in the flower, whereas Asclepias hirtella has a creamy/greenish tint of color instead of longifolia’s clear white color and hirtella has much less purple in the flower when compared to longifolia. Last, but not least, hirtella grows much taller than longifolia, has wider leaves, and has more flowers per cluster, giving it a full globe shape, much like it’s common-named shorter counterpart Asclepias viridiflora.