Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is an upright perennial which grows from rhizomes, 0.5 to 1 m in height with a stout stem.    The plant is hairy on the stems and leaves.     The central stem is somewhat hollow, but with a milky juice inside.    The leaves are mostly lanceolate with a point and have a central lighter-colored vein.    They are arranged in opposite pairs on the stem.  

The flowers are quite distinctive with a pink to purple color, arranged in an umbrella-shaped clusters.   The corollas form a rough star-shape.   

Pods/follicles form after flowering with many seeds with silky tassels.

We spot milkweed along roadsides, streams, runoff areas, and in glades.    All types of milkweed (200 different species)are an important plant for monarch butterflies who migrate to the our area and to various spots in the western part of North America.   Many of the milkweeds are toxic to humans, but showy milkweed is not one of them.   

We look forward to seeing milkweed trailside when we hike, but we also grow it in our home garden.