Plants of the Milkweed family are herbs, shrubs, or vines usually with thick, milky juice. The flowers are radially symmetrical, growing in flat or round clusters. They have 5 sepals and a corolla of 5 united petals with lobes that are bent backwards, and a 5-lobed crown between the corolla and the stamens. The number of stamens are 5, all flower parts are attached at the base of the 2 ovaries.
Leaves are simple, mostly paired opposite or in whorls of 4.
The fruit consists of 2 pods, often joined at tips by the style and filled with many silky-haired seeds. There are about 250 genera and 2,000 species of this family worldwide, most are found in warmer climates.
Economic importance is basically none, except that some species are grown as ornamentals, and some cause livestock poisoning.
Medicinal uses are few, they have sometimes been used for laxative, expectorant, diuretic, emetic purposes, and for wart removal. All members of this family should be considered toxic.