asclepias
noun
as·cle·pi·as
| \ ə-ˈsklē-pē-əs, a-
\
\
Medical Definition of asclepias
1
capitalized
: a genus (family Asclepiadaceae) of perennial herbs found chiefly in North America with flowers having a corona of five concave hoods each of which bears a slender horn — see butterfly weed, milkweed
2
: any plant of the genus Asclepias
3
: the dried root of the butterfly weed formerly used as a diaphoretic and expectorant
— called also pleurisy root