Asclepias speciosa is native to the western half of North America. This flowering plant is a hairy, erect perennial.Their corollas are reflexed and the central flower parts, five hoods with prominent hooks, are star-shaped. The fruit is a large, rough follicle filled with many flat oval seeds with luxuriant silky plumes. Many Native American peoples utilized all parts of this plant for a great number of medicinal uses and ate some parts as a food.