A SECOND OHIO WEED MANUAL. 



345 



Seeds brown, slender, about 3-16 of an inch long-, tapering to both ends, 

 with abundant tufts of silky hairs. Eradicated only by persistent cutting and 

 salting or by continued cultivation. 



MILKWEED FAMILY, ASCLKPIADACE^}., 



231 Butterfly=weed, Pleurisy=root (P) r 

 Asclepias tuberosa L. Butterfly-weed oc- 

 curs only in dry ground, growing 1 to 2 

 feet high. It has rough, hairy stems with 

 very numerous, rather narrow leaves and 

 dense umbels of bright orange flowers. It 

 occurs most frequently by roadsides and 

 in waste places in the southeastern and 

 northwestern portions of the state. The 

 juice is not milky, the pods are grayish, 

 turning backward. The root is rather 

 deep; it is an officinal remedy. 



Seeds flat, broadly winged, with 

 abudant silky hairs. While a handsome, 

 plant, worthy of cultivation, it is, never-^ 

 theless, out of place in fields and culti- 

 vated lands. Removed by 

 repeated cutting. 



232 Swamp Milkweed (P) Asclepias 

 incarnata L#. As its name indicates, this 

 has milky juice and is found in swampy 

 places. Stems very leafy, 2 to 3 feet high,' 

 leaves long, distinctly veined, pointed, 

 the flowers are purple, pods rather slen- 

 der and smooth. The fiber of swamp 



Fig .40 Indian Hemp. 



[After Dewey.) 



milkweed is quite good but not likely to supplant that of flax, hemp, etc. 



Seeds brown, flat, 5-16 of an inch long, broadly winged and with attached 



silky hairs. After draining, this plant still requires repeated grubbing or 



cultivation. 



233 Milkweed, Silkweed, Wild Cotton (P) Asclepias Syriaca L. This is 

 the common milkweed of roadsides and permanent 

 pastures; in the latter it is a most serious pest. The 

 stem is softly-downy, tall and stout, 3 to 4 feet high, 

 with oval leaves, pale underneath, 4 to 8 inches long. 

 The flowers are in dense umbels, dull purple, followed 

 by thick warty pods. Fig. 41 shows the plant char- 

 acters in part. The whole plant has an abundance 

 of milk}' juice which exudes upon the slightest wound. 

 The long hairs of the seed are abundant and applied 

 to a variety of uses. Instead of a deep tap-root this 

 milkweed has rootstocks by which it extends and 

 spreads underground. For permanent pastures it is 

 one of our bad weeds. 



Seeds brown, flat, 1-4 inch long, slightly winged, 

 with an abundance of silky hairs. By reason of its 

 rootstocks it requires continued efforts for its destruc- 

 tion. Repeated cutting with hoe or scythe or continu- 

 ous cultivation will in time destroy it. For the pasture 

 lands it may be cut two or three times annually with 

 the scythe. Once cutting will not subdue it. 



Fig 41. 



Milkweed . 

 {After Vasev.) 



