SCIENTIFIC NAME: Asclepias speciosa

FACTS: The air above the showy milkweed fairly thrums with the activity of bees this time of year as the scent of the plant attracts all kinds of nectar seekers.

Butterflies are particularly fond of asclepias and in some areas it is referred to as the “butterfly plant.”

Monarch butterflies lay eggs on showy milkweed and the larva consume the stalks and leaves (which are toxic).

Thus the monarch caterpillar becomes less attractive to predators.

Everything about this plant is showy, with a height of nearly 4 feet in places, a sweet heavy fragrance and large bundles of flowers on the tops of the stalks.

Asclepias grows in an erect manner with a grey-green color.

The leaves are on opposite sides of the stalk, usually about 4-7 inches long and covered with soft down hairs. All parts of the plant produce a thick milky sap when broken, giving the genus it’s name.

Showy milkweed is distinguished from common milkweed by the shape of the flowers that are grouped in a shape called an umbel and consist of many five-pointed individual flowers.

The seed pods contain many flat sided seeds with each having a fine hairy appendage that catches the wind well.

In addition, showy milkweed reproduces by underground root stocks sending up additional shoots with great frequency.

Showy milkweed has a number of commercial applications, including using the down from the seed pods in natural fiber items and oil absorption products. The seed is pressed for oil which is used in a variety of materials, including cosmetics.

WHERE TO FIND: Around the Hermiston Butte along the irrigation ditch that runs around the west and north sides. Otherwise, it is normally found (when not commercially grown) along ditch banks and in semi-wetland areas.