Weed Description: Perennial, erect, from a deep rhizome that excretes a milky sap when broken. Found throughout the northeastern United States, south to Virginia and northern Georgia, and west to the Rocky Mountains.
Stems: Rarely branched, erect, hollow, covered with fine hairs, emitting a milky sap when broken. Stems green initially but may become red with maturity.
It’s everyday name is milkweed, its Latin name Asclepias syriaca, named in honor of the Greek god of healing Aesculapius. And although its considered a roadside weed, the milkweed is much more than a pretty flower that Monarch and other butterflies relish. Because the leaves are poisonous to most animals, and Monarch caterpillars chomp on the leaves exclusively, the butterflies are themselves toxic to predators.
