Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Family: Asclepiadaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Asclepias speciosa or Showy Milkweed is a milky-sapped perennial plant with good edible uses. Flowers, leaves, the root, and seeds are all edible. It also has some medicinal and other uses.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Roots/Tubers, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

taste somewhat like peas. — Flower buds - raw or cooked.; They taste somewhat like peas.; They can be used to thicken soups.; Young shoots and leaves - cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Prairies, in sandy and loamy, usually moist soils. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)