Matelea obliqua (Climbing Milkweed)
$12.00
Out of stock
Size: 4-10’ tall (vine)
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Dry-Moist, Alkaline
Bloom Time: Summer
Deer Resistance: 4/5
Ecotype: Unknown
Most people are familiar with at least one of the Milkweeds—plants in the Asclepias genus. These plants serve as a host plant for the beloved monarch caterpillar, which was listed as “endangered” just a few years ago. But another closely-related genus, Matelea, is also used as a host plant by the monarch.
Climbing milkweed is a smaller, herbaceous vine that dies back during winter. It gently wraps around plants or structures to grow to a height of 8-10’. Found naturally in open woodlands and forest edges, it can handle part sun to part shade and has a preference for calcareous soils—soils rich in calcium carbonate, like the limestone-based soils commonly found in Rockbridge County. It produces maroon flowers midsummer, which then form pods containing seeds like other Milkweeds.
Due to habitat loss, Climbing Milkweed is listed as either vulnerable or endangered in the states within its native range.