EASTERN WHORLED MILKWEED,
Asclepias verticillata L. 1, base of plant with roots
and rootstock; 2, shoot; 3, upper portion of plant with flower
clusters; 4, seed. Perennial, reproducing from seed and creeping
rootstocks. Stems 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 m) tall, slender, smooth,
branching at top of plant only, with milky juice. Each crown may produce
several stems. Leaves light green, narrow, arranged in groups of
3 to 7 in whorls around stem. Flowers greenish-white, with 5 petals,
borne in clusters at top of stem or in the axils of upper leaves. Seed
pod 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long, slender, smooth, containing
numerous seeds. Seeds flat, brown, with a tuft of fine hairs at
tip. Found in meadows, pastures, and waste places. Seldom found
in cultivated fields. This plant is poisonous to livestock.