Packet contains 20 seeds.
Seeds of Asclepias oenotheroides.
Zizotes milkweed milkweed seeds.
Harvested in South Texas throughout 2025.
Asclepias oenotheroides, widely known as Zizotes milkweed, is a hardy native species found across the Southwestern and South-Central United States, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and parts of northern Mexico. It thrives in dry prairies, scrublands, ranchland edges, and open desert soils—places where heat and drought are the norm rather than the exception. Its paper-like leaves and pale green, star-shaped flowers are built for survival in these rugged environments, making it an excellent choice for gardeners looking to cultivate plants truly adapted to the American Southwest.
Despite its tough personality, Zizotes milkweed becomes a quiet powerhouse once established. The flowers offer nectar for a variety of native pollinators, including solitary bees, wasps, and butterflies. Most importantly, it serves as a host plant for monarch, queen and soldier caterpillars, providing crucial foliage for larvae in some of the hottest regions of the monarch’s southern range. Its long bloom window and drought tolerance make it a valuable contributor to habitat restoration projects, xeriscapes, and pollinator-friendly gardens.
Germinating Zizotes milkweed is surprisingly straightforward when you mimic the warm, moist conditions of early summer. Sow the seeds on the soil surface and cover them lightly—no more than 1/8 inch. This species needs light to germinate, so resist the urge to bury the seeds too deeply. Keep the soil evenly moist, not soaked, and maintain temperatures in the range of 70° or warmer. Under these conditions, germination is typically reliable, and seedlings will quickly adapt to hotter, drier conditions as they mature. This gives growers a strong start on a plant known for thriving where others would struggle.
This seed sold out on 6/10/2026