COMMON MILKWEED, Asclepias
syriaca L. 1, lower part of stem and rootstock; 2,
upper part of stem with flower clusters and seed pods; 3, single
flower; 4, seed. Perennial, reproducing by seed and from
rootstocks. Stems stout and erect, 2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 m) tall,
covered with short downy hairs, with milky juice. Leaves opposite,
oblong, rounded, 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) long with prominent veins.
Upper surface smooth, lower surfaces covered with short white hairs. Flowers
sweet-smelling, pink to white, in large, many-flowered, ball-like clusters
at the tips of stems and in the axils of upper leaves. Seed pod
grayish, hairy, covered with soft spiny projections. Seed brown,
flat, oval, with a tuft of silky, white hairs attached to tip. Found
in cultivated fields, pastures, open woods and roadsides.