Classification of Asclepias syriaca

Domain- Eukarya- This organism has a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
          Kingdom- Plantae-This organism has cell walls containing cellulose and undergoes photosynthesis
                    Phylum- Magnoliophyta (Angiosperms)-This organism is a flowering plant and has protected seeds
                              Class- Magnoliopsida-This plant is a dicot, meaning the seed has two coverings, the flower petals are
                                                               in groups of 4 or 5, the veins are netlike, and there is one main root.
                                      Order- Gentianales-This plant has leaves that are opposite or whorled.
                                                 Family- Apocynaceae -This plant is a herb that is Native to America with white sap
                                                                                    and latex within.
                                                           Genus- Asclepias-This plant is one of the milkweed species.
                                                                     Species- Asclepias syriaca-This plant is a broad-leaved perennial herb with
                                                                                   pink or purple flowers that are in umbels. The seeds are in follicles.
                                                                                   This milkweed species is known as common milkweed; it has
                                                                                   a very large habitat range.

The Latin word Asclepias translates into English as "medicinal herb", indicating that the genus Asclepias has medicinal uses. To learn more about the medicinal uses of milkweed, visit http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/Milkweed.html.

Phylogeny of Asclepias syriaca

This phylogenetic tree shows that land plants are derived from the super-group archaeplastida. Land plants are most closely related to charophyceans, chlorophytes (both of which are green algae), and red algae. This tree is derived from molecular evidence and similarities between the plastid DNA sequences and structure.

                                  
science.kennesaw.edu/~jdirnber/Bio2108/Lecture/Lec Biodiversity/28_Labeled_Images/28_03eArchaeplastPhylo-L.jpg

This more specific phylogenetic tree is based on molecular evidence of ten different species of Asclepias. In each species, three different sequences of DNA were analyzed. They were "noncoding, plastid DNA regions" that included rpl16 intron, trnC-rpoB spacer and trnS-trnG spacer/trnGintron (Agrawl and Fishbein, 2008).
                                
                                                   http://www.pnas.org/content/105/29/10057.full
 

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