milkweed

English

Tropical milkweed (plant), Asclepias curassavica L.

Etymology

From milk +‎ weed.

Noun

milkweed (plural milkweeds)

1. Any of several plants that have a milky sap and have pods that split to release seeds with silky tufts.
   1. Principally of the genus Asclepias in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
   2. Also of the genus Calotropis in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
   3. Euphorbia peplus and Euphorbia heterophylla, in order Malpighiales.
2. A monarch butterfly (Danaus spp).

Synonyms

• silkweed

Hyponyms

• (plants in genus Asclepias): common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), fourleaf milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia), green comet milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora), poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), red milkweed (Asclepias rubra), redring milkweed (Asclepias variegata), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

Derived terms

• heartleaf milkweed
• milkweed bug
• milkweed butterfly
• orange milkweed
• tropical milkweed

Translations

plant of the genus Asclepias

• Finnish: silkkiyrtti (fi)
• German: Seidenpflanze f
• Italian: asclepiade f
• Kashaya: šiʔdo qʰale
• Polish: trojeść f

plant of the genus Calotropis

• Arabic: عُشَر m (ʕušar)
• Finnish: madari (fi)
• German: Kielkrone f (rare)

plant Euphorbia peplus

• Finnish: kolmisädetyräkki (fi)

monarch butterfly — see monarch butterfly

References

• milkweed on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Asclepias on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• milkweed at USDA Plants database