Milkweed plants.jpg
Common milkweed |
Milkweed plants.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. |