Swamp Milkweed.Asclepiasincarnata,var. pulchra.
Found in damp hollows and swamps, in July.
The leafy stalk is commonly 2 or 3 feet high, woody-fibred and hollow, with slight ridges on its surface, and downy to the touch. Green in color, modified by pale crimson.
The large leaf (7 inches long sometimes) is sharp-pointed at the tip and slightly heart-shaped at the base; the ribs are prominent underneath, and the margin is entire, the edge being thickened; the texture is thick, the surface downy and hairy underneath; in color a strong yellow-green. The leaves are set on short, stout stems, which partly clasp the stalk, and grow in pairs, that occur at right angles to each other.
The flower is small; the crown is reared high upon its little neck, the horns very slender and pointed, the lobes narrow and curving; the texture of the corolla is fine, and its color is a rich crimson, toned to violet, the calyx parts are half as long as the lobes, and are pale green with a crimson tint. The flowers are set on short, small foot-stems, which are downy, and crimson toned; they form rather large loose clusters, on stout green stems, and grow in a terminal group, or singly from the angles of the upper leaves.
The buds are oval in shape, and of a noticeably richer hue than belongs to the opened flower; they form flat-topped clusters before they reach maturity.
This variety varies from the typicalincarnatachiefly in being more downy, and shorter of leaf-stem.