Common Milkweed
(Scientific Name: Asclepias
speciosa)
Description:
A coarse perennial 2-6 feet tall with stout stalk, large opposite
leaves and thick milky sap. Rounded clusters of sweet-scented,
pink-to-whitish flowers are followed by rough seed pods about 3
inches long, which eventually split down the sides to release light,
flat seeds attached to long, downy hairs. Young shoots appear in the
spring, and the plant blooms in June and July.
Habitat: Moist to dry ground of fields and
waste places.
Uses:
Young shoots, unopened flower buds and hard, green, immature seed
pods are all edible and should be cooked in the same manner. Cover
with boiling water and boil for 1 minute, drain and then boil until
tender. Fiber pulled from the outside of the dried stalks in the
fall was used by Indians to make cordage for nets and snares. Its
wide distribution and abundance makes it an important source of wild
food.
