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I 
PAR.K AND CEMETER^Y. 
412 
Some Eittle- Known Native Ornamentals— II. 
By Wilfred A. Brotherton. 
The Hairy cMUhxveed, Asclepias pulchra. 
The name “Milkweed” is another so-called “common 
English,” senseless blunder. Very few of the so-called 
“Milkweeds” are weeds. I know of but one, the com- 
mon “Milkweed” (Asclepias Syriaca), that is ever truly 
a weed, and no native American plant promises to 
become in the future of greater economic importance 
than the commonly despised milkweed, which in fu- 
ture days may become one of the great staples, care- 
fully cultivated, and grown even in this country. Fur- 
thermore many, perhaps most, species rank high as or- 
namentals. What is more showy than clumps of As- 
clepias tuberosa, a mass of brilliant orange or yellow 
flowers? And yet it is a so-called milkweed, although 
it contains no “milk” in its juice. In the lists of stand- 
ard ornamentals published in both America and Europe 
occur the names of Asclepias tuberosa, A. Curassavica, 
and A. incarnata. And yet the Hairy Milkweed (As- 
clepias pulchra) is not mentioned, and it is even more 
ornamental than A. incarnata. Whoever buys plants 
of Asclepias pulchra should not kick because he gets 
a big thing and has a heavy express or freight bill to 
pay if he orders a large number of them. It quickly 
forms immense clumps, great masses of white fibrous 
roots, often a foot or more across. From these large 
root clumps rise many stout (often nearly an inch 
thick) very branching stems, about 4 feet tall,' cov- 
ered with many long narrow hairy leaves, and each 
hairy branchlet ending in a cluster of light red, pink 
or white flowers. It is one of those strong, robust, 
floriferous, easily grown plants that always command 
attention when once known. In the genus Asclepias, as 
well as in several other genera we find species repre- 
senting two or three different classes of root forma- 
tion. Asclepias tuberosa has a large thick semi-tuberous 
little branching root; Asclepias pulchra, A. incarnata, 
and A. verticillata have roots forming a great mass 
or clump of long slender white root-fibres. While As- 
clepias Syriaca, A. purpurascens, A. exaltata, etc., have 
long slender creeping rhizomes. This difference of 
root formation makes a large difference in the planting 
of these species, and should always be considered in 
planting Asclepias, Aster, Solidago, and Helianthus. 
Where the roots form clumps or are tuberous we can 
exercise our judgment as to whether we wish solitary 
plants or masses. But when we discover a plant with 
a long creeping rhizome, we have no choice save mass- 
ing, as each of these rhizomes will soon widely branch, 
each branch sending up one or more stems. In our 
gardens we have places for both classes, but it is mani- 
festly improper to set a mass-forming species where 
solitary clumps look better. 
SallUhanVs cMilkweed, Asclepias Sulli'vanti. 
Some years ago some of my fellow botanists said 
they had discovered a rare milkweed in a certain locality 
in southeast Michigan, and seemed very much inter- 
ested in it. But I considered it of no particular import- 
ance — just a “milkweed.” Later on I visited this lo- 
cality and one day, while traversing the wilds of this 
region, I suddenly entered a large mass of what I at 
once perceived was a new species of Asclepias, and its 
great beauty, then in bull bloom, was sufficient to ex- 
cite pleased exclamations from even an old professional 
botanist ilke myself. It was Asclepias Sullivanti, heigth 
3 or 4 feet, every portion very smooth and highly pol- 
ished, stem and leaves pale glaucous-green (cabbage 
color), the veins of leaves purple. Leaves opposite, 
very large and broad, very elegant in appearance. The 
upper leaf axils bear each a solitary large umbel of 
large (for a milkweed) dark purple, very handsome 
flowers. This plant belongs to the class having 
rhizomes and hence is solely adapted for massing, yet 
we may combine it in small places by digging up sur- 
plus plants. In its native wilds I found it exclusively 
occupying spaces exceeding 20 feet long and wide. 
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