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.