Polygala sanguinea L. Polygala viridescens L. Field milkwort, blood milkwort, purple milkwort
Field milkwort is a North American native plant. Identification: Plants are 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. Leaves are 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 are a compact raceme atop each stem, which may be white, pale green, or pink or rose-colored. 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. Online References:
Polygala sanguinea at Illinois Wildflowers Polygala sanguinea on Missouriplants.com Polygala sanguinea on Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses 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 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 8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts 7/6/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts 9/16/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts 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 Polygala sanguinea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts 8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts 9/16/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts 9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts 8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/7/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts 8/3/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts Range:
|