Asclepias syriaca

Family
Apocynaceae
Life form

H

hemicryptophyte
Other names
Common milkweed
Gewöhnliche Seidenpflanze
Milchwurz
This plant is listed in EU regulation No 1143/2014
Classified as invasive in
Austria
Origin
North America

Asclepias syriaca is a perennial herb native to North America. Formerly, it has been cultivated for bee fodder and fibre and as an ornamental plant. The species is adapted to wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions and typically grows as a colony of plants. Impacts on biodiversity are probable as Asclepias syriaca establishes dense population in grasslands and dune areas. In Austria, the species primarily colonizes abandoned land, but it has already been observed along roadsides (Sytria, Lower Austria).

Sources

Sengl P, Rehorska R (2017): Asclepias syriaca, common milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) - An alien plant species in southern Styria with spreading potential. Mitteilungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereines für Steiermark 147, 67-76.

Essl F & Rabitsch W (2002): Neobiota in Österreich. Umweltbundesamt, Wien http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltschutz/naturschutz/natur_aktuell/aktionsplan_neobiota.

Walter J, Essl E, Englisch T & Kiehn M (2005): Nophytes in Austria: Habitat preferences and ecological effects. In: Nentwig, W. et al. (Eds.): Biological Invasions – From Ecology to Control. Neobiota 6, 13-25.