|
Photographer: Kitty Kohout
|
Family Asclepiadaceae
Asclepias syriaca L.
common milkweed, silkweed
Asclepias: named for the Greek god of healing Asklepios
syriaca: of Syria; an early introduced plant into Europe and mistakenly thought to come from the Orient by Linnaeus
Hazardous 
|
|
| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 3'-6' tall forb, milky juice; mostly single, stout, hairy stems; colony-forming roots |
| Flower: | pink to cream, 5-parted, 3/8"-5/8" tall,  with the short, inwardly-curved horns shorter than the pale purple hoods; inflorescence several, densely-flowered, stalked, drooping umbels; blooms June-Aug. |
| Fruit: | large, rough pods held erect on downwardly-pointing stalks; many seeds with silky hairs |
| Leaf: | thick, elliptical to oblong, softly hairy, stalked |
| Habitat: | full to partial sun; dry to wet; meadows, fields, prairies; in sandy, loamy soil |
| (Glossary) |
|
