Family Asclepiadaceae, composed of about 2,000 species of flowering herbaceous plants or shrubby climbers in more than 280 genera.
Most family members have milky juice, podlike fruits, and tufted silky-haired seeds that drift on wind currents to new locations for sprouting. Common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ) and bloodflower ( A. curassavica ) often are cultivated as ornamentals. Hoya carnosa , commonly called wax plant because of its waxy white flowers, is often grown indoors as a potted plant. The family also includes some succulents , some pitcher plants , and butterfly weed .