Asclepias exaltata, commonly called poke milkweed, is a native perennial found in open woodlands and forest edges across eastern North America. Unlike many milkweeds that prefer full sun, this species grows well in part shade, making it a good choice for lightly shaded gardens.

It prefers moist to medium, well-drained soil and produces drooping clusters of soft pink to white flowers in early to mid-summer. Like other milkweeds, it is an important host plant for monarch caterpillars and supports a variety of pollinators. By late summer, slender seed pods form, releasing silky-tufted seeds that disperse by wind.