milkweed family

American  

noun

1. the plant family Asclepiadaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants, shrubs, and vines having simple, opposite or whorled leaves, usually milky juice, umbellike clusters of small flowers, and long pods that split open to release tufted, airborne seeds, and including the anglepod, butterfly weed, milkweed, stephanotis, and wax plant.

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Example Sentences

Stapelia, sta-pē′li-a, n. a genus of showy fleshy African plants of the milkweed family.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Stephanotis, stef-a-nō′tis, n. a genus of shrubby twining plants of the milkweed family.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various