Flower:

5-petaled, pale green to cream with some purplish out towards tips of the petals. Flowers are ¼ to 1/3 inch long, in a single cluster 1½ to 2½ inches wide at the end of the main stem. Petals are variable from angled outwards and downward (typical) to tightly appressed against the flower stem (atypical, as seen in the leaves photo below). The 5 hoods surrounding the center crown do not extend above the flower center. Unlike most milkweeds, this one has no horns.

Leaves and stem:

Leaf shape is variable from narrow and long, with a semi-pointed tip (typical) to broadly long and rounded tip (atypical, see more photos below). From this variation it can range from 1/3 to 1¼ inches wide and 1 to 4 inches long. Leaves have fine wooly hairs on both upper and lower surfaces, are toothless, and irregularly spaced on the stem. Stems are weakly erect, unbranched, with 2-3 stems per plant, and are finely woolly.

Notes:

This milkweed is not common. It is listed as Special Concern in Minnesota, Threatened in Wisconsin and Iowa, Endangered in Illinois, with these four states comprising nearly half of its range. This is a difficult plant to locate even when you know it is there. I have not yet observed a seed pod on this species. All Asclepias were formerly in family Asclepiadaceae but have been reassigned to Apocynaceae (Dogbane).