Polygala sanguinea L.

Field milkwort, blood milkwort, purple milkwort

About plant names...

Field milkwort is a North American native plant. These plants do well in sandy or rocky soils with low nutritional content, in both dry or moist conditions.

Plants: 3-16" (7.6-40 cm) in height, with a hairless stem, although it may look pock-marked and irregular near the top from flowers that have dropped away. A cross-section of the stem resembles the keel of a ship or has four sharply-defined edges. The thin taproot smells a bit like wintergreen.

Leaves: Linear or narrowly elliptic, attached directly to the stem (sessile) or via very short stems, up to 1" (3 cm) × ¹/₁₆-⅛" (2-5 mm). They may be either alternate or opposite.

Flowers: A compact raceme atop each stem, which may be purplish-pink, rose-colored, white, or pale green. The coloring comes from enlarged sepals called “wings.” The entire flowerhead is up to ¾" (2 cm) tall and about ⅜" (1 cm) around. They appear from May to October.

Fruits: Each tiny flower becomes a tiny capsule with two hairy seeds.

Online References:

Polygala sanguinea at Illinois Wildflowers

Polygala sanguinea on

Polygala sanguinea on Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

Polygala sanguinea on

Polygala sanguinea on luirig.altervista.org

Polygala sanguinea on Discover Life

Polygala sanguinea on ct-botanical-society.org

Polygala sanguinea at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Polygala sanguinea on

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 82

9/16/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 5" (16 × 13 cm)

8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 2½" (10 × 7.1 cm)

8/17/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Red Trail, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.4 × 10 cm)

7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 6" (11 × 16 cm)

9/16/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 6" (15 × 14 cm)

Individual flowers are bilaterally symmetrical, and consist of two “wings,” which are actually sepals; and a smaller yellow corolla, the true flower. There are also three more sepals and three petals, but they are too small to see in this view. · 12/12/2020 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts

9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 2½" (10 × 6.9 cm)

9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3 × 3" (8.3 × 7.6 cm)

Polygala sanguinea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 24 Aug 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 15 cm)

8/17/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Red Trail, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 3½ × 4" (8.7 × 11 cm)

9/16/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 2½ × 2½" (7.2 × 7.1 cm)

8/17/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Red Trail, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

8/17/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Red Trail, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3" (12 × 8.5 cm)

9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.8 × 8.6 cm)

8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 5" (9 × 13 cm)

8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

8/7/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 5" (10 × 13 cm)

8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 5" (11 × 13 cm)

Range:

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