Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

tropical milkweed

Asclepias curassavica

Spanish: Algodoncillo tropical

tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)
Photographed by valjala81 on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Asclepias curassavica, commonly known as tropical milkweed, is a flowering plant species of the milkweed genus, Asclepias. It is native to the American tropics and has a pantropical distribution as an introduced species. Other common names include bloodflower or blood flower, cotton bush, hierba de la cucaracha, Mexican butterfly weed, redhead, scarlet milkweed, and wild ipecacuanha. Most often recorded in Apr, Mar.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Gentianales › Apocynaceae
Local records2 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records42,156 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2022 – 2022
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/asclepias-curassavica/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.