Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa L.
Family: Asclepidaceae (Milkweed Family)
Common name: Pleurisy-root
Description: Perennial herb from a thick root; flowering May-August.
Range and Habitat: Native wide-ranging species and common in South Carolina sandy oak-hickory forests, sandy, dry open woods, dry fields, and along roadsides.
In Porcher’s time… Pleurisy root was used as a purgative for the treatment of rheumatism, constipation, and respiratory ailments.
See the historical entry on this plant as it appears in Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests