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Clasping Milkweed
Asclepias amplexicaulis
Family: Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae)
Height: 8-36" (20-91 cm)
Flower: loose round or cylindrical cluster, 2-5 1/2" (5-14 cm) wide, of 18-60 pink flowers; each flower, 1/2" (1 cm) wide, crown of 5 scoop-shaped petals (“hoods”) and 5 inward-curving pointed petals (“horns”), 5 downward-pointing lobes; single cluster per plant
Leaf: broadly oval, 3-6" (7.5-15 cm) long, dark green, blunt ends, deeply wavy margin
Fruit: okra-shaped curved green seedpod, turning reddish green, 4-5" (10-13 cm) long, splits along 1 side to release many flattened seeds; each seed attached to white hair-like fuzz that becomes airborne
Bloom: summer
Cycle/Origin: perennial; native
Habitat: dry sandy soils, old fields, open woods, roadsides
Range: throughout
Notes: Erect unopened seedpods at the top of the stem resemble slightly curved, reddish candles on a candelabrum. American Indians used the hair-like fuzz from ripe pods as diaper padding. Also known as Bluntleaf Milkweed, this plant can be differentiated from other milkweed species by its very wavy leaves that clasp the stalk. The single reddish green stem is unbranched, hollow and exudes a milky sap when cut.
Cluster type: Round Flower type: Irregular Leaf type: Simple Leaf attachment: Opposite Leaf attachment: Clasping Fruit: Pod