Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Green-flowered milkweed
Asclepias viridiflora Raf.
- Stem: perennial; 1 1/2’ to 2’ tall; unbranched; hairy.
- Leaves: mostly opposite; oval, tapering to both ends; 3” by 1”; sessile; leaf edges somewhat wavy; sparsely hairy above, smooth below.
- Inflorescence: one to three umbels from the upper leaf axils; umbels either sessile or on stalks less than 1/4” long; up to fifty flowers per umbel.
- Flowers: petals greenish, 1/4” long and reflexed, hoods above the petals 3/16” long, no horn projecting from the hood; flowering from mid-June to mid-July.
- Fruits: seedpod is a follicle, 3 1/2” long by 1/2” in diameter, hairy; toward the tip the pod narrows abruptly to a 1” beak; seeds are flat, 1/4” by 3/16”, with a tuft of cottony hairs at one end; fruiting begins in late July, and seeds begin to fly in September.
- Habitat: common on mesic and upland prairies; much less frequent in eastern Iowa.
- Notes: Some plants have leaves longer and narrower than typical for the species.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
