Sand Milkweed.Asclepias obtusifolia.
Found on sandy barrens and fields in July.
The stalk, which grows from 2 to 3 feet in height, is very leafy in its middle part, and is round, or sometimes a little flattened beneath the leaves; its fibre is strong, and surface smooth. Color, pale green, frequently toned with bronze, or brown.
The leaf is long, square-pointed with a sharp little tip, and heart-shaped at its partly clasping base; its margin is entire, the blade being much ruffled by the tautness of the strong midrib, and its edge is slightly thickened; the texture is thick and tough, and the surface is smooth and soft to the touch; the color is a strong full green, showing purplish at the edge and ribs, and pale silvery underneath where the mid-rib is white. The leaves occur in pairs which grow at right angles to each other.
The crown tubes are short, broad, and slightly toothed, with noticeable sharp little horns; the lobes are long, pointed, and curving. All these parts are pale greenish-purple, while the small calyx is green. The foot-stems are rather long and slender, and the flower-cluster is large, loose, and terminal.
At about a third of the height of the stalk the leaves begin to crowd together,—sometimes as many as five or six pairs will occur with barely an inch of space between them; they overlap their bases about the stalk, and describe fine curves with their wavy blades. Occasionally a second cluster of flowers is borne at the base of the stem which supports the usual cluster. The juice is very little milky.