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Whorled Milkweed

Asclepiadaceae family - From the Greek God of Healing and Medicine, Asclepias.

Generally less than two feet tall with slender, usually unbranched stems and several thread-like leaves originating at each point along the stem. Small, stalked clusters of usually less than twenty flowers having five green petals and five white hoods. Seed pods are narrow and about 3 inches long and one-half inch thick. Common throughout the Tallgrass Region in dry prairies and pastures, especially in overgrazed or disturbed areas.

During WWII, the sap of the milkweed family plants were used experimentally to provide a rubber substitute. The silk produced by the seed pods was also used as a substitute for kapok in flotation devices for many years.