Asclepias purpurascens

Purple Milkweed occurs in eastern North America from New England and southernmost Ontario south to Georgia and west to Iowa and Texas. However, it is less common in the eastern and southeastern parts of its range. It is apparently fairly widespread in the Midwest and abundant in Missouri. It occurs in prairies, woodland openings/edges, and thickets, and in wet situations (especially in the southeastern United States) as well as on dry, rocky woodlands. It occurs on some National Forests, and on several National Wildlife Refuges, State Wildlife Management Areas, and many State Parks. Threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat due to impacts from development, forest succession in part from the lack of fire, and competition from invasive exotic plants. Protection and restoration of prairie remnants and oak savannas may benefit the species.

Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) occurs in eastern North America, from southern New England south to north Georgia, west to southernmost Ontario, Wisconsin, Iowa, eastern Kansas, Arkansas, and adjacent northeastern Texas. Range extent was estimated to be 1.9 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023 (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, SEINet 2023).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023, it is estimated that there are more than 900 occurrences rangewide, it is less common in the eastern and southeastern parts of its range, but is apparently fairly widespread in the Midwest and particularly abundant in Missouri (Cooperrider 1995, GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, Mohlenbrock 1986, SEINet 2023, Steyermark 1963, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2022).

Threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat due to impacts from development, forest succession in part from the lack of fire, and competition from invasive exotic plants.