milkweed

American  

[milk-weed] / ˈmɪlkˌwid /

noun

1. any of several plants that secrete a milky juice or latex, especially those of the genus Asclepias, as A. syriaca.

2. any of various other plants having a milky juice, as certain spurges.

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milkweed British  

/ ˈmɪlkˌwiːd /

noun

1. Also called: silkweed.  any plant of the mostly North American genus Asclepias, having milky sap and pointed pods that split open to release tufted seeds: family Asclepiadaceae See also asclepias

2. any of various other plants having milky sap

3. another name for butterfly weed

4. another name for monarch

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Etymology

Origin of milkweed

First recorded in 1590–1600; milk + weed ¹

Compare meaning

How does milkweed compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dogbane vs. milkweed

Example Sentences

Milkweed thrives in disturbed areas, and it once grew abundantly on roadsides and in farm fields throughout the U.S.

From National Geographic • Dec. 14, 2023

A good place to begin researching which ones to choose is the Xerces Society’s Project Milkweed and its region-specific plant lists.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

By Elizabeth Rush Milkweed: 424 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2023

Today, she collects them on her land in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and serves them to guests at the Milkweed Inn, which she owns and runs with her wife, Anna.

From Washington Post • Jan. 9, 2023

Huckleberry, Milkweed, and Dandelion were attacked with the whooping cough, but bore it bravely, and kept out of doors whenever the sun shone.

From Tanglewood Tales by Hawthorne, Nathaniel