Asclepias, n. [L., fr. Gr. , named from Asclepios or Aesculapius.].
A genus of plants including the milkweed, swallowwort, and some other species having medicinal properties. [1913 Webster]
Asclepias butterfly (Zoöl.), a large, handsome, red and black butterfly (Danais Archippus), found in both hemispheres. It feeds on plants of the genus Asclepias.