The flowers are rounded or flat-topped clusters that are yellow, orange or red. It grows from 1.5-2.5 feet tall.
Mature plants are difficult to transplant as they are sensitive to shock.
Early settlers used roots as treatments for fevers, bronchitis, rheumatism, colic, pleurisy and dressing open wounds. Today, it is increasingly harvested from the wild for herbal medicines. It is the only milkweed that doesn't have milky sap. The monarch butterfly caterpillar avidly feeds on its foliage and flower buds. It blooms violet with yellow centers, turning red with age.