Asclepias curassavica

Asclepias curassavica

Classification:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Angiosperms
Class : Eudicots
Order : Gentianales
Family : Apocynaceae
Genus : Asclepias
Species : curassavica

Asclepias curassavica, Its grows to 1 m in height. It has a woody base, stems with milky sap, and dark green lanceshaped leaves 5-15 cm long. It produces showy orange and red flowers in umbels with brilliant redpurple centers. It blooms almost continuously which has made it a favorite as a cultivated plant in gardens and attracting bees, hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden. One of its common names is "butterfly weed" as the blooms are quite attractive to butterflies, especially Monarch butterflies.