Asclepias Curassavica Silky Gold Milkweed

Yellow Tropical Milkweed for Monarchs and More

Asclepias curassavica ‘silky gold’ common names: Silky gold butterfly weed, Silky yellow butterfly flower, Yellow tropical milkweed

Asclepias Curassavica Silky Gold Plant Specs

• Perennial: USDA hardiness zones 8a-11 (lows -12.2 °C or 10 °F)
• Native to Caribbean, Central America, South America
• Annual for zones below 8a
• Full sun to part shade
• Height: 2 to 3 feet
• Spacing: 1 to 2 ft
• Blooms: bright yellow flowers, ‘silky gold’
• Narrow leaves filled with white milkweed sap

Asclepias Curassavica Silky Gold Pros

• Top plant for monarch egg laying
• Supports late season eggs and caterpillars into early November
• Monarch butterflies and other pollinators use as a nectar source
• High concentration of cardenolides in this mw species helps monarchs avoid predation and OE parasites
• A favorite source of nectar fuel for the monarch migration
• Showy yellow blossoms all summer
• Easy to transplant without long tap root
• Deer and rabbit resistant
• Can Still flower while it produces seed- Blooms all season

Yellow Tropical Milkweed Cons:

• Self-seeds in warm winter areas, multiple times per year
• In northern zones, must start seeds indoors to reach full maturity…consider starting with cuttings or plants instead of seeds or seedlings
• Flowers also attract wasps but they haven’t been aggressive
• Oleander Aphids can be bothersome
• Prone to leaf spot fungus, rusts, and other milkweed diseases
• Continuous growing regions: ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE parasite) and other pathogens can build up on reused plants and harm monarchs
• Seeding is profuse, but not an issue in annual zones
• Milky Sap is a skin irritant and can cause eye irritation, so wash hands thoroughly after handling milkweed and/or use gloves

Asclepias Curassavica Silky Gold Plant Propagation:

• Start seeds indoors 2 months before final frost
• Sow seeds directly after last frost (not recommended below zone USDA zone 8)
• Soak seeds in warm water 24 hours before planting
• Start seeds directly in water
• Stem cuttings– easily root in water

Yellow-flowered Tropical MilkweedGrowing Tips

• Start milkweed stem cuttings or buy plants for full season bloom period
• Lusher leaves in partial shade.
• Plant in well-drained soil
• Start with native milkweeds and supplement supply with tropical varieties
• Collect seed pods as they start to crack open, or use organza bags
• Plants can be overwintered indoors to replant after last frost dates
• Taking winter or spring milkweed cuttings at season’s end to place in water or direct plant
• Southern California, Florida and Texas gardeners (those in temperate climates where plants stay evergreen) should consider cutting back tropical plants to the ground in fall to cut down the spread of OE and to encourage the monarchs to finish their fall migration.
• Try staggering your cuttings (cut back half now, the other half a few weeks later). This way, there’ll always be some milkweed available for unexpected monarch visitors.

Pollinator Plus

This milkweed also attracts bees, eastern tiger swallowtails, giant swallowtails, hummingbirds, insects, painted ladies, pipevine swallowtails, queens, wasps, and more…(If you know other pollinators tropical milkweed attracts, please comment below.)

Buy Silky Gold Tropical Milkweed Plants and Seeds

Always purchase seeds and plants from vendors that include the botanical (scientific) name, which is Asclepias curassavica Silky Gold. Common names like butterfly weed and tropical milkweed are sometimes used to describe other milkweed species:

1. Get Asclepias Curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ Milkweed on Etsy

2. Find Silky Gold Tropical Milkweed on Amazon

3. MILKWEED Quickstart Guide for Monarch Butterflies ⬅️

Click here for 30 Milkweed Ideas for your Butterfly Garden

Asclepias Curassavica Silky Gold FAQs

Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ (tropical milkweed) is a tender perennial in warm climates (USDA hardiness zones 8 and up) but is often grown as an annual in cooler regions.

In areas with frost or freezing winters the plant typically dies back and is treated as an annual unless you overwinter it indoors or protect it, buy new plants, or propagate new plants from cuttings or seed each year.

Is silky gold milkweed native?

No, Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ (commonly called silky gold milkweed) is not native to the United States. The main species Asclepias curassavica is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas (Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean), and ‘Silky Gold’ is a cultivated ornamental cultivar derived from that species.

Silky gold milkweed can persist year-round in warm climates and, in some regions, is treated as naturalized or potentially invasive; gardeners should also be aware of concerns about prolonged monarch breeding and parasite buildup in continuous growing regions. More info about growing tropical milkweed in continuous growing regions

Do monarchs like Silky gold Asclepias Curassavica?

Yes, Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ is attractive to monarch butterflies. Its showy, nectar-rich flowers draw adult monarchs for feeding, and it also serves as a favored host plant for monarch females, who will lay eggs on the leaves, which grow their caterpillar kids through the butterfly life cycle.

In our northern garden, it is generally a preferred milkweed for monarchs from summer through the annual fall monarch migration.