A genus of flowering plants commonly known as milkweed, containing species with milky sap and characterized by clustered pink, orange, or yellow flowers.
Named directly after Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century because milkweed was traditionally used in herbal medicine. The botanical genus name was chosen to honor the healing deity.
Linnaeus named an entire plant genus after the god of medicine, and he was right—milkweed contains cardiac glycosides that were actually used to treat heart conditions, so the name 'medicine plant' was scientifically justified!
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