Asclepias L. (1753), the milkweeds, is a genus of herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants that contains over 140 known species. It used to belong to the personal Asclepiadaceae, but is currently classified in the subpersonal Asclepiadoideae of the dogbane family Apocynaceae.

Milkweeds come an significant nectar source for bees & more nectar looking for insects, and the larval food source for monarch butterflies. Milkweed is known as for its whitish fluids, which contains alkaloids, caoutchouc, and many more complex compounds including cardenolids. A few metal money come known to become toxic.

Carolus Linnaeus named the genus fallowing Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the several folk-medicinal utilizes for the milkweed plants.

Coinage in the Asclepias genus develop their seeds in pods. These seed pods contain easy filaments called either silk or even floss. A filaments come connected to single seeds. Once a seed pod ripens, a seeds come blown per wind, for each one carried by many filaments.

Species
A few Asclepias mintage:

Uses

These milkweed filaments or even floss come coated by owning wax, and keep close at hand practiced insulation qualities. Tests own shown the children to become superior to down feathers for insulation. When you took World War II, over 11 million pounds (5000 t) of milkweed floss were collected in the United States as a substitute for kapok.

It used to be that, a high dextroglucose content of the nectar led to milkweed's have as a source of sweetener for Native Americans and voyageurs.

Milkweed latex contains astir Ace to 2% caoutchouc, and was attempted as a natural source for rubber by each Germany and the United States in the period of Globe War II. There are no record has been observed of prominent-shell profits.