What is the scientific name of milkweeds?
Q: What is the scientific name of milkweeds?
A: The scientific name of milkweeds is Asclepias (L. 1753).
Q: What type of plants are milkweeds?
A: Milkweeds are herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants.
Q: How many species of milkweed are known?
A: There are over 140 known species of milkweed.
Q: What do bees and other nectar eaters use milkweed for?
A: Bees and other nectar eaters use milkweed as a source of nectar.
Q: Which insects feed on the plants despite their chemical defences?
A: Caterpillars of the monarch butterfly and its relatives, and other herbivorous insects such as beetles and true bugs feed on the plants despite their chemical defences.
Q: What makes up the milky sap found in some species of milkweed?
A: The milky sap found in some species of milkweed contains alkaloids, latex, and several other complex compounds.
Q: How does pollination occur in this genus?
A: Pollination in this genus occurs when flower visiting insects such as bees, wasps, or butterflies slip into one of five slits formed by adjacent anthers which causes a pair of pollen sacs to be pulled free when they fly away.
