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| What's in Bloom this Week? |
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July 2003 Featured Plant
Butterfly Weed
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, is valued by gardeners
for its striking orange color and because it does indeed attract
butterflies. This native plant is a kind of milkweed, and
no account of milkweeds can be written without reference to
their flower structure and pollination mechanism. The characteristic
milkweed flower has a complex design that can catch an insect
pollinator and then apply pollen sacs to the insect's body
as it struggles to escape. Butterfly weed is distinct from
our other native milkweeds in having an alternate rather than
opposite leaf arrangement. Because butterfly weed was once
used to treat a lung ailment, it was formerly called pleurisy
root. This eye-catching plant is frequently offered at our
plant sales, but easily grows from seed as well. In the garden,
butterfly weed prefers sun, well-drained soil and dry conditions.
Because it is late to emerge in the spring, mark its location
to avoid accidentally disturbing it. Look for it in our Visitor
Center Garden and in the front meadow.
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