Asclepias

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Apocynaceae

• Scientific Name

  Asclepias

• Description

  Genus Description - Cor deeply divided, spreading or more often reflexed and concealing the cal; corona of 5 prominent hoods arising from near the top of the filament-column and subtending the anthers, alternate with the cor-lobes, the hoods diverse in structure and providing specific criteria, straight or curved, erect or ascending, or spreading at the base and upcurved at the tip, often bearing internally near the base a slender or flattened exsert horn; anthers tipped with a triangular, hyaline, inflexed appendage; pollinia solitary in each pollen-sac, pendulous, apically attached to the translator; follicles commonly erect, acuminate; seeds comose, except in A. perennis; perennial herbs mostly from a stout root or caudex, with usually simple stems (never twining), opposite (in some spp. alternate or whorled) lvs, and small or medium-sized fls in peduncled, terminal or extra-axillary cymose umbels. 150, mainly New World, esp. N. Amer. (Acerates, Asclepiodora)

• Common Names

  milkweed