Plant guide · California
Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed. California has its own native milkweeds, and eight of them are sold by native-plant nurseries. They are not interchangeable: Narrowleaf Milkweed grows wild in nearly every county, while Rush Milkweed is a desert plant.
The table shows how widely each one grows wild. Which one belongs in your yard depends on your address.
See which of these grow wild near your address. Free preview, no account.
Narrowleaf Milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis
Wild in 55 of 58 counties · Low water · Full sun
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Wild in 45 of 58 counties · Low water · Full sun
Woollypod Milkweed
Asclepias eriocarpa
Wild in 39 of 58 counties · Very low water · Full sun
Heartleaf Milkweed
Asclepias cordifolia
Wild in 28 of 58 counties · Low water · Part shade
California Milkweed
Asclepias californica
Wild in 21 of 58 counties · Very low water · Full sun
Woolly Milkweed
Asclepias vestita
Wild in 12 of 58 counties · Very low water · Full sun
Desert Milkweed
Asclepias erosa
Wild in 8 of 58 counties · Very low water · Full sun
Rush Milkweed
Asclepias subulata
Wild in 4 of 58 counties · Very low water · Full sun
Each with its wildlife value from 1 to 100; 50 is a typical California native. Open a card for the details.
Asclepias fascicularis
Narrowleaf Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch, an at-risk butterfly.
Narrowleaf Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch, an at-risk butterfly.
Asclepias speciosa
Showy Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch, an at-risk butterfly.
Showy Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch, an at-risk butterfly.
Asclepias eriocarpa
Woollypod Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Woollypod Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Asclepias cordifolia
Heartleaf Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch.
Heartleaf Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch.
Asclepias californica
California Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
California Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Asclepias vestita
Woolly Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Woolly Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Asclepias erosa
Desert Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch.
Desert Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch.
Asclepias subulata
Rush Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
Rush Milkweed is a caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly.
How we chose these. Every California-native milkweed in our catalog that native-plant nurseries sell, ordered by how many counties it grows wild in. County ranges come from floras and herbarium records. A report for your address goes further: it keeps only plants that have been collected growing wild near you. How the wildlife value is scored
Enter your address and the free preview shows your land, your soil and climate, and a first look at the natives that grow wild near you, no account needed. The full report is the whole shortlist for your address, a list you build yourself, and a printable nursery list for $40.
Planting season starts with the first rains. Now is when to plan.