Milkweed fiber

Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Description

Fibers obtained from the seeds of any of several milkweed plants of the genus Asclepias. Milkweeds are a native perennial in North America. The seed pods produce a silky lightweight fuzz, called silk or floss. The lustrous, soft fibers are yellowish white in color. Milkweed fibers are too brittle to spin and are used for upholstery padding. They also have good buoyancy and were used as substitutes for Kapok in lifebuoys during World War II.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Asclepias; vegetable silk; milkweed floss; milkweed fibre (Br.); asclépiade (Fr.); zijdeplant (Asclepias syriaca) (Ned);

Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Other Properties

Fiber length = ~ 2 cm

Hazards and Safety

The sap and leaves of the plant are toxic to all mammals.

Additional Information

• G.Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres:I. Natural Fibres, 5th edition, Merrow Publishing Co., Durham, England, 1984.
• R.King, E.Hartley, "Unusual Fibers Used in Northwest Coast Ethnographic Textiles, Their Preparation & Their Structure", Technology & Conservation, 1/79.

Additional Images

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  Milkweed

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  Milkweed

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  Milkweed fiber

• For milkweed fiber identification, see http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Category:FRIL:_Plant_Fibers

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• J.Gordon Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres:I Natural Fibres, Merrow Publishing Co. , Durham, England, 1984

• Poisonous Plants at http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/poison/plants/ppmilkw.htm (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998