Monarch and Butterfly Weed 3
by Scott Hovind
Title
Monarch and Butterfly Weed 3
Artist
Scott Hovind
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Asclepias tuberosa is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is a perennial plant growing to 0.31 metre (10 in3 ft 3 in) tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early fall. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate, 512 cm long and 23 cm broad.
This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins. It requires full sun.
It is commonly known as Butterfly Weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies. Hummingbirds, bees and other insects are also attracted.
Extracts were used by Native Americans as an expectorant for wet coughs and other pulmonary ailments.Use of the herb is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or with infants due to the small amount of cardiac glycosides.
Uploaded
June 24th, 2012
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