1. a plant with milky juice and clusters of small flowers, whose seeds have silky hairs that help them spread in the wind

Examples

• Monarch butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants.
• The milkweed in our garden attracts many different types of butterflies.
• Common milkweed produces pink or purple flower clusters in summer.
• The seeds of milkweed float away on their fluffy white attachments.
• Farmers often consider milkweed a weed in their crop fields.
• The milky sap from milkweed can irritate sensitive skin.
• Native Americans used milkweed fibers to make rope and cloth.