Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
Big Meadows area, Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA
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Family: Apocynaceae
Mid-Atlantic bloom time: May - August
Butterfly-weed is a perennial plant, growing to 0.3 m - 1 m tall (1 ft - 3 ft) usually in full sun. Despite being a milkweed, its stems are not milky when broken. Because it has a deep taproot, it does not transplant well, but it is easily propogated by seed.
The genus name Asclepias refers to the Greek god of medicine Asklepios. Butterfly-weed has tuberous (knobby and with swellings) roots, hence the species name tuberose.
According to a USDA Forest Service webpage (2014),
"Native Americans harvested fibers from the dried stems that were made into ropes and used in weaving cloth. Many tribes used various parts of the butterfly weed as food. In colonial America, dried leaves of butterfly weed and skunk cabbage were made into a tea to treat chest inflammations thus giving butterfly weed an alternative name: pleurisy root. Pleurisy root was listed in the American Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary until 1936."
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21 June 2014
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
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21 June 2014
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
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21 June 2014
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
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18 July 2020
Big Meadows area, Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA
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