Mead's Milkweed is one of the most rare plants on South Fork Prairie. It's on the Missouri Endangered Species list and the U.S. Federal Threatened Species list.
Since Mead's Milkweed can propagate via rhizomes, multiple stems within a couple feet from one another may actually be a single plant. It can't be determined whether closely spaced stems, like those pictured at the top of this page, are from a single plant or not (without invasive digging). Therefore, the counts listed in the table below may overstate the number of individuals.
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On the left is a picture of a Mead's Milkweed with a healthy seed pod, taken July 21, 2001. This was one of two seed pods observed in 2001. In 2003, seven or eight viable pods were observed. Seed pods indicate that the Mead's population on South Fork Prairie is not only surviving, but thriving as well.
This picture was taken before the restoration project began. In the background are cedars encroaching on the prairie. Later that year, the cedars were removed by tree shearing. If you look closely, you'll see another, smaller Mead's Milkweed stem to the left of this one.
Close-up of Mead's Milkweed before the blooms have opened.
This photograph was taken on May 24, 2003. To date, this plant is the largest specimen of Mead's located at South Fork Prairie. Although no measurement was taken at the time, we estimate it to have been over two and a half feet tall!
To the left is the only Mead's Milkweed plant in Missouri known to produce seeds in 2006.
Steel tomato cages are placed arround all blooms to help inhibit random grazing by deer.
Below is one of the several seed pods that failed in 2006.
