Butterfly weed

Historical marker location:

1400 Constitution Ave NW, The National Mall, District of Columbia

( Marker is on Madison Drive Northwest, 0.1 miles west of 12th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west.)

Asclepias tuberosa. Milkweed family, North America

The District was a major center of the slave trade in the 19th century: Prior to the Civil War, Washington, D.C. was home to one of the largest slave markets in the country. Slaves were bought and sold in public auctions held in the city, and many prominent politicians and businessmen owned slaves.