Family: Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed)
Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa
Perennial herb found on roadways, abandoned farmlands, open woodlands, and prairies. Sandy, loamy, or rocky limestone soils.
Watch for: Lance-shaped alternate leaves smooth above and velvet beneath. Flowers are a showy orange, with 5 petals which together form a rounded group on the top. Usually the flash of orange along highways in summer.
Other names: Orange milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger weed. Read more