milkweed

From milk +‎ weed.

milkweed (plural milkweeds)

1. Any of several plants that have a milky sap and have pods that split to release seeds with silky tufts.
   1. Principally of the genus Asclepias in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
   2. Also of the genus Calotropis in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
   3. Euphorbia peplus and Euphorbia heterophylla, in order Malpighiales.
2. A monarch butterfly (Danaus spp).

• silkweed

• (plants in genus Asclepias): common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), fourleaf milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia), green comet milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora), poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), red milkweed (Asclepias rubra), redring milkweed (Asclepias variegata), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

•   milkweed on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
•   Asclepias on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• milkweed at USDA Plants database