• Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for the common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L., to assist in genet identification and the analysis of spatial genetic structure. • Methods and Results: Using an enrichment cloning protocol, eight microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in a Michigan population of A. syriaca. The primers amplified di- and trinucleotide repeats with 4–13 alleles per locus. • Conclusions: The primers will be useful for studies of clonality and gene flow in natural populations.