Common Milkweed Seed Pod - Follicle Stock Image

Common milkweed seed pod is called a follicle. This perennial plant is in the Asclepias family. The seeds, arranged in overlapping rows, bear a cluster of white white silky filament hairs called coma, pappus, floss, plume, or silk, and are spread by wind. It grows best in marshy areas. The monarch butterfly requires milkweed. The filaments from the coma the `floss` are hollow and coated with wax, and have good insulation qualities.