A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 229 



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oblong type, distinctly wavy-margined, almost stalkless, op- 

 posite, 3-5 in. long. Flowers greenish-purple, the crown pink- 

 ish. Pods erect, downy, 4-6 in. long. New Hampshire to 

 Florida, common along the coast, more rare inland, to Min- 

 nesota and Nebraska. June-August. 



701. Poke Milkweed. Asclepias exaltata. (Asclepias phy- 

 tolaccoidcs.) A nearly smooth erect perennial 3-6 ft. high. 

 Leaves opposite, stalked, lance-oblong, narrowed both ends, 

 4-9 in. long, rather thin. Flowers in a comparatively loose 

 cluster, greenish purple, the crown pink or white. In woods 

 and thickets, Maine to Georgia, and westward. July. Fig. 



701. A related plant, A. varicgata, has some of the leaves 

 occasionally in fours, and a whitish-purple flower. It is 

 found in dry woods from Long Island, N. Y. to Florida, and 

 westward. 



702. Milkweed. Asclepias qiiadrifolia. Stem slender, usually 

 unbranched, 1-2 ft. high. Leaves very like those of No. 

 701, but mostly in fours. Flowers in a rather open cluster, 

 pinkish-white. Pod very slender, erect, 3-5 in. long and 

 smooth. In woods and thickets, nowhere very common. 

 Maine and Ontario to Alabama, and westward. June. 



703. Common Milkweed. Asclepias syriaca. The common- 

 est of all our Milkweeds, a stiff, stout perennial, 3-5 ft. high. 

 Leaves oblong or oval-oblong, opposite, 4-9 in. long, stout 

 stalked. Flowers in large globe-like clusters, greenish-purple 

 or greenish white. Pods erect, 3-5 in. long, swollen toward the 

 base, warty, and covered with soft prickles. Nearly every- 



