Common milkweed

Milkweed 1

Milkweed 1.jpg

Scientific Name Asclepias syriaca L.
Other Names silk weed, wild cotton
Life Cycle perennial
General Description Perennial with erect stems and ovate leaves the exude a milky sap.
Seedlings Cotyledons are very rare to see since most plants emerge from perennial rhizomes. Cotyledons are oval and rounded at the tips.
True Leaves and Stem Leaves are opposite (may be whorled) and ovate with a waxy texture. A prominent midvein is found on the leaves. Stems tend to be hairy, unbranched, hollow, and erect. Leaf size ranges from 7-20 cm long (much larger than hemp dogbane) and leaf margins are entire.
Roots thick rhizomes
Flower and Fruit Flowers in clusters (umbels)on the upper portion of the stem. The five-petal flowers are pinkish-white in color and is on the end of slender, long stalk. Fruits are large green, hairy pods. Pods can contain 200+ seeds each attached to a silky, white tuft of hair.
MAIN INDEX