ORANGE BUTTERFLY WEED (Pleurisy Root) 



Asclepias tuberosa L. 



July Plant of the sand country, blossom of the sunny 



Sands, prairie roads prairie, denizen of broad sunshine and dry soil, 



the orange butterfly weed sets a spot of brilliant 

 pigment on the prairie. The plant makes a broad, spreading bush of 

 many stems Avhich spring from a very deep, stout taproot, or stands, a 

 single stalk, witli that unmistakable mass of bright orange blossoms at 

 the top. The small flowers grow in a spreading head to which buttei*flies 

 and other insects come to sip the noetar. 



As in the case of other milkweeds, the l)utterfly weed has compli- 

 cated flowers which are designed to prevent the entry of ants and other 

 crawling insects. The hairy stems, besides, further prevent insects from 

 climbing u]) to the flowers which must be ])ollinated by flying insects 

 alone. But although the flower is typically that of a milkweed and so 

 are the leaves, the butterfly weed has no milky juic<'. 



Butterfly weed, like many milkwcMnls. has toxic qualities in its acrid 

 juice, but because of the distasteful flavor and the hairy stems, few if 

 any animals will eat them and thus do not suffer from jjoisoning. An old 

 remedy for pleurisy once was obtaiuetl Ironi the .-tout, dee]) root, hence 

 the name of pleurisy root which is often given to tlie butteiily weed. 



But the latter name is much more ajjjjropriatc today on the hot and 

 sunny ])rairie or across the wind-swc])t sand fields of the river country. 

 For the butterflies know the hiilliaiit orange flowers of butterfly weed 

 and gather around to sip nectar, so that almost always one may see at 

 least a butterflv or two in the vicinity of any clump of ])utterfly weed. 



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