Definition

Noun: 1. A common name for plants of the genus Asclepias: Any of numerous perennial plants characterized by containing a milky, latex-like sap (juice) and producing seed pods that, when mature, split open to release seeds attached to long, silky, downy tufts of hair that aid in wind dispersal.

Usage Notes

• "Silkweed" is a common name primarily used for plants in the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae, now often included in Apocynaceae). The name directly references the silky, hair-like filaments (coma) attached to the seeds.
• The term is largely synonymous with the more common name "milkweed," which refers to the same milky sap. "Silkweed" emphasizes the seed structure, while "milkweed" emphasizes the plant's sap.

Examples

• The fields were dotted with orange-flowered silkweed, attracting monarch butterflies.
• Children love to open the dry pods of silkweed and watch the silky seeds float away on the breeze.
• Botanists study silkweed species for their unique pollination mechanisms and their role as host plants for certain insects.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe specific features, e.g., "silkweed seeds" or "silkweed pods."

Variants and Related Words

• Milkweed (n.): The most frequently used common name for the same group of plants, focusing on the milky latex.
• Asclepias (n.): The scientific genus name for these plants.
• Butterfly weed (n.): A specific common name for , a type of silkweed/milkweed with bright orange flowers.

Synonyms

• Milkweed
• Butterfly flower (for some species)

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Silkweed floss: Refers specifically to the silky, downy tufts (the coma) attached to the seeds, which has been historically used as a stuffing material.
• Silkweed pod: The follicle (seed pod) of the plant that contains the seeds.

Noun

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Asclepias having milky juice and pods that split open releasing seeds with downy tufts