butterfly weed

1. Also called orange milkweed. a North American milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, having clusters of bright orange flowers.

2. an erect North American plant, Gaura coccinea, of the evening primrose family, having wandlike spikes of white to pink flowers turning red with age.

[1810-20, Amer.]

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North American plant (Asclepias tuberosa) of the milkweed family, a stout, rough-haired perennial with long horizontal roots.

The leafy, erect, somewhat branching stem is about 1–3 ft (0.3–0.9 m) tall. In midsummer it bears numerous clusters of bright orange flowers. Unlike most milkweeds, it has a scanty milky juice. It is native to dry fields and is often planted in wild gardens or grown as a border plant.

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▪ plant

also called  pleurisy root,  orangeroot , or  orange milkweed 

      North American plant of the milkweed family (Apocynaceae), a stout, rough-haired perennial with long roots. The leafy, erect, somewhat branching stem is about 0.3 to 0.9 metre (1 to 3 feet) tall. In midsummer it bears numerous clusters of bright orange flowers.

      Unlike most milkweeds, this plant has a scanty milky juice. It is native to dry fields and is often planted in wild gardens or grown as a border plant.

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