[Illustration: SAND MILKWEED: A. obtusifolia.] *Swamp Milkweed.* _Asclepias incarnata, var. pulchra._ Found in damp hollows and swamps, in July. The leafy stalk is commonly 2 or 3 feet high, woody-fibred and hollow, with slight ridges on its surface, and downy to the touch. Green in color, modified by pale crimson. The large leaf (7 inches long sometimes) is sharp-pointed at the tip and slightly heart-shaped at the base; the ribs are prominent underneath, and the margin is entire, the edge being thickened; the texture is thick, the surface downy and hairy underneath; in color a strong yellow-green. The leaves are set on short, stout stems, which partly clasp the stalk, and grow in pairs, that occur at right angles to each other. The flower is small; the crown is reared high upon its little neck, the horns very slender and pointed, the lobes narrow and curving; the texture of the corolla is fine, and its color is a rich crimson, toned to violet, the calyx parts are half as long as the lobes, and are pale green with a crimson tint. The flowers are set on short, small foot-stems, which are downy, and crimson toned; they form rather large loose clusters, on stout green stems, and grow in a terminal group, or singly from the angles of the upper leaves. The buds are oval in shape, and of a noticeably richer hue than belongs to the opened flower; they form flat-topped clusters before they reach maturity. This variety varies from the typical _incarnata_ chiefly in being more downy, and shorter of leaf-stem. [Illustration: SWAMP MILKWEED: A. incarnata, var. pulchra.] *Purple Milkweed.* _Asclepias purpurascens._ Found along dry roadsides in July. The generally single stalk varies from 1 to 3 feet in height, is tough-fibred, slightly grooved, and a trifle downy to the touch; it is very milky. The color is light green, crimson at the joints. The long, oval leaf is sharp-pointed at the tip and blunt at the base; its midrib is very flat on the top but round beneath, and the cross-veins show plainly; the margin is entire, the edge curling under, and the upper surface is smooth while the underside is velvety; the color is yellow-green, with a crimson midrib that is purple underneath. The leaves, on short, thick purple stems, are placed in pairs, at alternate angles with one another. The tubes belonging to the crown of this rather large flower are long and oval in shape, their horns being short and broad with suddenly-straight tips; the lobes are long, oval, and widely flaring; all these parts are colored a strong, dark glowing crimson. The flowers are set on foot-stems that are twice their own length, and pale green in color; they are arranged in a loose cluster upon a short, stout purplish stem, and grow terminally, and from the angles of the upper leaves. This plant is inappropriately designated _purpurascens_, since its full and beautiful crimson flowers are unusually pure in tone.