Common Name:
Common Milkweed

Scientific Name:
Asclepias syriaca L.

Family:
Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae)

Plant Description:
Common Milkweed is a perennial plant that reproduces by both seed and underground rootstocks. It reaches a height of 2-5 feet. Leaves are smooth, opposite, oblong and round in appearance. Flowers are white to pink in color and are clustered at terminals. Flowering occurs during the months of July-September. Seed pods form on short stems and have spiny projections. Seeds are oval shaped, tan to brown in color and are attached to white hairlike structures.

Remarks:
Milkweed is common along ditch edges and dikes. It can often be found growing in wetland areas adjacent to cranberry beds. A milky sap runs from broken sections of the plant.