From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmilkweedmilk‧weed /ˈmɪlkwiːd/ noun [uncountable] HBPa common North American plant that produces a bitter white substance when its stem is broken
Examples from the Corpus
milkweed• Since most other animals avoid milkweed, the monarch caterpillars usually have the leaves all to themselves.• For the monarchs, Mr Harris brought down from Atlanta a special tall-growing variety of milkweed I had never seen before.• The females lay their eggs on milkweed and the caterpillars feed on these plants until they pupate, prior to emerging as butterflies.• The caterpillars of the monarch butterfly, surprisingly, are able to feed on milkweed without taking any of these precautions.• As protection against herbivores such as caterpillars, the milkweed produces chemical deterrents on its leaves.• They obtain their unpleasant flavour from the milkweed plant.• In defending itself so thoroughly against the monarch, the milkweed became inseparable from the butterfly. 