butterfly weed

butterfly weed

noun

Definition of BUTTERFLY WEED

: a North American milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) with showy orange flowers borne on erect leafy stems

First Known Use of BUTTERFLY WEED

1816

butterfly weed

noun \-ˌwēd\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of BUTTERFLY WEED

: an orange-flowered milkweed of the genus Asclepias (A. tuberosa) of eastern North America that is a source of asclepias—called also pleurisy root

butterfly weed

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

North American plant (Asclepias tuberosa) of the milkweed family (Apocynaceae), 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.