Southern Milkweed (Asclepias viridula)
Description
Field Description: Perennial herb from a thickened rootstock. Stems erect, slender, purplish at base, smooth except for a line of small hairs between leaf nodes. Leaves 2 - 4 inches long, smooth, opposite, very narrow, slightly widened near tip, 10 - 20 pairs per stem. Flowers 6 - 10, in flat-topped clusters on stalks in the angle between upper leaves and stem; pale green with maroon tint; petals curved sharply downward; corona consists of incurving horns and erect, unlobed hoods that cover the stigma. Fruit an elongated pod, erect, smooth, up to 4 inches long. All parts of the plant with milky sap.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Gentianales
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Family: Apocynaceae
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Genus: Asclepias
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