Beggar'S-Buttons vs Common Milkweed

Arctium lappa compared with Asclepias syriaca

Key Differences

• Beggar'S-Buttons is Least Concern while Common Milkweed is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beggar'S-Buttons	Common Milkweed
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Gentianales (Gentianales)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Apocynaceae
Genus	Arctium	Asclepias
Species	Arctium lappa	Asclepias syriaca

Evolutionary Relationship

Beggar'S-Buttons and Common Milkweed share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Beggar'S-Buttons

LC — Least Concern

Common Milkweed

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beggar'S-Buttons	Common Milkweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beggar'S-Buttons

Habitat

Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria), Asia (North Korea, Taiwan), Europe (11 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Brazil).

Common Milkweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), Europe (25 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Beggar'S-Buttons

The Beggar'S-Buttons (Arctium lappa) is a species in the genus Arctium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Common Milkweed

Common Milkweed (<em>Asclepias syriaca</em>) is a native North American flowering plant in the genus <em>Asclepias</em>, family Apocynaceae. It is widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and North America, with confirmed presence in countries including Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Canada. Its range extends to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia and spans 25 European countries. The species is typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats, from temperate grasslands and roadsides to disturbed fields and forest edges. Common Milkweed is best known as a critical host plant for the monarch butterfly (<em>Danaus plexippus</em>), whose larvae feed exclusively on milkweed foliage. The plant produces fragrant pink-purple flower clusters and distinctive large seed pods filled with silky fibers that disperse seeds on the wind. Its milky latex sap contains cardiac glycosides that deter most herbivores. The conservation status of this species has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN, though its populations remain broadly widespread.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 11 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States