[Wikipedia] Native American Uses: Heart-leaf milkweed was valued by the Native American Miwok tribe for its stems, which they dried and processed into string and rope. A single Miwok feather skirt or cape was made with approximately 100 feet of cordage, requiring about 500 plant stalks. A 40-foot-long deer net contained about 7,000 feet of cordage, requiring the harvesting of approximately 35,000 plant stalks. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[Wikipedia] Taxonomy: The species name, cordifolia (Latin for 'heart-leaved'), refers to the heart-shaped leaves, while the genus name honors the Greek physician Asclepius. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[Wikipedia] Ecology: Monarch butterfly caterpillars are commonly found on all the milkweeds, including the heart-leaf milkweed. Even after the caterpillar has metamorphosed into a butterfly, the alkaloids they ingest from the plant are retained in the butterfly, making it unpalatable to predators. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)