as·cle·pi·as
n 1 cap : a genus (family Asclepiadaceae) of perennial herbs found chiefly in No. 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 Aesculapius see STAFF OF AESCULAPIUS.
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