Bursting Milkweed Seed Pod Airborne Seed Dispersal Asclepias syriaca
Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca dispersing seeds on the air. Asclepias syriaca, commonly called Common Milkweed, Butterfly flower, Silkweed, Silky Swallow-wort, Virginia Silkweed, is a herbaceous plant species. It is in the genus Asclepias, making it a type of milkweed. This species is native to most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, excluding the drier parts of the Prairies. It grows in sandy soils and appreciates lots of sunlight. Common milkweed is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a rhizome to 1-2 m tall. The stem and all parts of the plants produce a white latex when broken. The leaves are opposite, simple broad ovate-lanceolate, 7-25 cm long and 3-12 cm broad, usually with an undulate margin and a red-colored main vein. They have a very short petiole and a velvety underside. The flowers are grouped in several spherical umbels with numerous flowers in each umbel. The individual flowers are small, 1-2 cm diameter, perfumed, with five cornate hoods. The seeds are attached to long, white flossy hairs and encased in large follicles.
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Photo credit: © Phil Degginger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adaptation, airborne, asclepias, bursting, dispersal, dynamics, ecological, ecology, efficiency, habitats, interactions, mechanisms, milkweed, morphology, natural, patterns, plant, plant-animal, pod, pollinator, relationships, reproduction, role, seed, species, strategies, viability, wind
