Poke Milkweed

Asclepias exaltata

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Danaus plexippus, Pyrrharctia isabella, Hyalophora cecropia, Euchaetes egle, Cycnia tenera, Phragmatobia lineata, Trichordestra legitima, Spodoptera frugiperda, Melanchra adjuncta, Papaipema nebris
S13+S15 10 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Follicles split open in fall to release wind-dispersed seeds with silky comas. Persistent dried stems and split pods may provide minor winter foraging substrate for seed-gleaning birds, though primary value is as a summer nectar source.
S57 S10

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: SE
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.7 – Northeastern Coastal Zone
Rarity Notes: Critically imperiled in Quebec (S1) at the northern margin of its range. Globally secure (G5). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Rare at margins of range; considered of conservation concern in several peripheral jurisdictions. In Quebec, known from very few locations.
S22 S6 S26
Rarity Ranks: QC S1 – Critically Imperiled, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A deciduous forest understory milkweed typically found in rich mesic to dry-mesic woodlands dominated by oaks, maples, and hickories. Prefers dappled shade on slopes, ravines, and woodland edges. In Michigan, associated with Acer saccharum, Tilia americana, and Allium tricoccum in mesic hardwood forests. Reaches its northern limit in southern Quebec where it is critically imperiled (S1).
S7 S6 S10

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 5 bee associations (threshold=3)]

Category: Gastrointestinal Aid
S28 Moerman Drug category=Gastrointestinal Aid (Omaha, Ponca)
Notes: Omaha and Ponca peoples ate the raw root as a treatment for stomach trouble (Gilmore 1919). Recorded in Moerman's NAEB with 2 drug/gastrointestinal aid entries. No other traditional medicinal uses documented for this species.
S28

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: Not documented as a food plant. Moerman (NAEB) records only medicinal drug uses for Omaha and Ponca peoples, with no food category entries. All milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides that render most parts toxic if consumed in quantity.
S28 S4