Scientific Name: Asclepias syriaca L.
Other Names: silk weed, wild cotton
Life CycleL: 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.