milkweed

American  

[milk-weed] / ˈmɪlkˌwid /

noun

• milkweeds
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• milkweeds
  plural

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

See Examples For:

milkweed milkweeds

Ms. Williams delights in the paradoxes of butterfly evolution, including monarch caterpillars’ calibrated resistance to milkweed toxins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Sometimes I get milkweed with eggs already on it, and Julie knows her butterflies are going to a good home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Monarchs depend on everyday people—farmers, gardeners and city planners—planting milkweed and protecting pollinator spaces, so their recovery depends on cooperation, not coercion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

They did so because they recognized that strict prohibitions could backfire, leading landowners to destroy milkweed, a plant that monarchs need to survive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

He wove two layers of cloth from the fine filaments of grass, and sandwiched in between the two layers some of the milkweed fluff he’d stored in his log.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

“Planting milkweeds in your garden is great,” she says.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 14, 2023

Other invertebrates, including slugs, snails and spider mites, may feast on milkweeds, too, as do some larger animals, like rabbits and ground squirrels, which are apparently resistant to poisoning.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

Goldfarb cites the example of milkweeds, the exclusive feeding plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023

There are other native milkweeds, but they are typically harder to find.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

There are at least four species of whorled milkweeds, but two of them are particularly important from the standpoint of people handling livestock.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry