Common milkweed – Asclepias syriaca
Print
EmailAsclepias syriaca L.
Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family)
MI Status
Native
Life cycle
Stoutly erect, patch-forming perennial.
Leaves
Opposite, oval, oblong to egg-shaped leaves are 3 to 8 inches long with smooth margins and distinctly white midveins and veins. The upper leaf surface is dark green and usually smooth; the lower leaf surface is pale green and finely hairy. Leaves exude a milky sap when damaged.
Stems
Stout and erect, rarely branched, up to 6-foot-tall herbaceous stems are finely hairy and hollow and exude a milky sap when damaged.
Flowers and fruit
Purple, pink to white flowers are found in dense, ball-like clusters consisting of 20 to 130 individual flowers. Fruit are large, 3- to 5- inch-long, grayish green, teardrop-shaped pods covered with soft, warty bumps. Pods split open at maturity to release thin, brown, oval seeds each with a tuft of long, silky hairs that aid in wind dissemination.
Reproduction
Seeds, creeping roots and rhizomes.
Other Documents in this Series
You Might Also Be Interested In
-
Celebrating 100 years of Michigan State University Extension in Alcona County
Published on October 19, 2017
-
MSU named Top 10 agriculture and forestry college in new report
Published on March 23, 2021
-
MSU Extension to undertake three-year, $7 million vaccination education effort
Published on August 17, 2021
-
Spotted lanternfly: A colorful cause for concern
Published on November 12, 2020
-
Inspired and in-person: face-to-face programming returns for Michigan 4-H
Published on August 25, 2021
-
Protecting Michigan’s environment and wildlife through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Published on September 1, 2021
Accessibility Questions:
For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.