Reprinted with permission from the New Britton 

 and Brown Illustrated Flora of the Northeastern 

 UnitedStates and Adjacent Canada, Vol. 3, page 76, 

 Copyright 1952, The New York Botanical Garden. 



ASCLEPIAS OVALIFOLIA 

 OVALLEAF MILKWEED 



Ovalleaf Milkweed is a rhizomatous perennial with usually solitary slender stems 2-6 dm high. The erect to spreading, 

 opposite leaves have petioles which are up to 1 cm long, and broadly lance-shaped to elliptic blades which are 4-8 cm 

 long with entire margins. Leaves are moderately long, hairy beneath, and the sap is milky. 1-3 umbrella-shaped, stalked 

 clusters of 8-20 flowers are at the top of the stem or in the axils of the upper leaves. Each greenish-white to cream 

 flower is 8-10 mm high and borne on a hairy stalk that is up to 20 mm long. Flowers have 5 reflexed corolla lobes 

 which are 5-6 mm long, and 5 erect hoods which are 4-5 mm long and rounded at the tip; these hoods surround a 

 greenish or yellowish central column, and each has a conical horn inside. The erect spindle-shaped fruits are 6-8 cm 

 long and ca. 1 cm wide. Each fruit has numerous seeds, each with a light brown tuft of hairs that is 18-35 mm long. 



Approached peak flowering on 2 July 1994, with a few plants in very early stages of fhiit formation. 



ASCLEPIAS VIRIDIFLORA and A. SPECIOSA also have broad leaves, but the former lacks horns within the hoods, 

 and the latter has pink to purple flowers. 



