The Magical Female Parrot Plant

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. An elderly couple from a neighboring farm visited, generously gifting us a pile of homegrown tomatoes and green beans. They also specially picked six light-green fruits I had never seen before, which surprised me with their flower-stem shapes resembling small birds. We placed them in a glass filled with water, suspending each fruit on the rim. Upon closer inspection, they looked like six female parrots playing and drinking by the pond. This sparked my curiosity, so I immediately searched online. This rural perennial has a poetic and dramatic name: "female parrot plant" (Herbe aux perruches). It belongs to the species Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), native to North America. It thrives in all soil types, grows vigorously, spreads quickly, and is considered a weed. Once dismissed as a weed, it is now an ornamental garden plant. The emerald-green plant can reach 1.6 meters tall, blooming with pink flowers in spring. On sunny summer days, it emits a faint herbal honey fragrance. By late summer and early autumn, the flower stalks transform into large light-green fruits. When winter ends and spring arrives, the fruits burst open to release seeds, which are dispersed by silky white downy hairs. Note: This article references Wikipedia.