MILKWEED FAMILY 



ASCLEPIADACE^E MILKWEED FAMILY 



Asclepias incarnata, (L.) var. pulchra, (Ehrh.) Pers. 



Dull or light crimson Swamp Milkweed, Swamp Silkweed, 



Hairy Milkweed, Flesh-coloured 



July-September Rose-coloured Swallow-wort, 



Silkweed, Water Nerve-root. 



Asclepias: for derivation see amplexicaulis. 

 Incarnata: from Latin signifying into flesh, i.e. flesh- 

 coloured. 

 Pulchra: Latin for beautiful. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: swamps. 



THE PLANT: erect, two feet high or higher, usually 

 branched, stout, leafy to the top; the stem covered with 

 matted wool and with short, soft hairs. 



THE LEAVES: opposite; broadly lanceolate; three to five 

 inches long, sometimes as much as two inches wide; above 

 having short, soft hairs or without hairs; beneath, soft 

 hairy, at least on the veins; acute and acuminate at the 

 apex; narrowed or rounded at the base; with entire mar- 

 gins and prominent net-veining. 



THE FLOWERS: a dull crimson or pink or even a pinkish 

 white, in clusters of somewhat stiffer character than the 

 nodding clusters of the syriaca; their stems covered with 

 matted wool. 



THE FRUIT: a follicle, densely clothed with soft, short hairs. 



A showy member of the Milkweed Family, sturdy and 

 handsome, which, with its crimson-pink flowers and vivid 

 green leaves, is well called the pulchra or the beautiful, 

 for in swamps its flat topped flower-clusters are spots of 

 bright colour. The root is used in medicine. 



