Gardening Flowers Annuals Blood Flower By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 29, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Like its perennial cousin butterflyweed, bloodflower is one of the best plants to attract butterflies. Monarch larvae love to feast on the leaves, and other butterflies that sip its nectar. A drought-tolerant plant, it's also called Indian root and swallow-wort. It's perfect for planting in sunny naturalistic or wildlife gardens. In midsummer, it covers itself with gorgeous flowers in oranges, reds, and yellows on tall stems. Plant it in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Be careful of the milky sap, which can irritate skin. While it's grown as an annual in most areas, it is a perennial in the tropics. Blood Flower Overview Genus Name Asclepias curassavica Common Name Blood Flower Plant Type Annual Light Sun Height 1 to 3 feet Width 1 to 2 feet Flower Color Orange, Red Foliage Color Chartreuse/Gold Season Features Fall Bloom, Summer Bloom Special Features Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance Zones 10, 11 Propagation Seed Problem Solvers Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant Varieties of Blood Flower 'Silky Yellow' Blood Flower Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Yellow' bears all-yellow flowers on 3-foot-tall stems. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit