The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

cross-leaf milkwort, drum-heads milkwort, drumheads

Habit Herbs annual, single-stemmed, (0.5–)1–3(–5) dm, usually branched distally; from slender taproot.
Stems

erect, usually glabrous, rarely subglabrous.

Leaves

whorled, sometimes alternate distally;

sessile or subsessile, or with narrow petiolelike base to 2 mm;

blade mostly linear, to oblanceolate, spatulate, obovate, or narrowly elliptic, especially proximally, 8–35(–50) × 1–5(–7) mm, base cuneate to acute, apex rounded to obtuse or acute, surfaces glabrous.

Racemes

capitate to densely cylindric, 1–3.5(–6) × 1–1.7 cm;

peduncle 0.5–3(–5) cm;

bracts persistent, narrowly lanceolate-ovate.

Pedicels

2–2.4 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

usually purple or pink, rarely white, wings and distal keel sometimes green-tinged, sepals often pink, 4–6 mm;

sepals ovate, 0.8–1.5 mm, sometimes ciliolate;

wings ovate to deltate, 3.5–6 × 2.7–4 mm, apex acuminate, often strongly cuspidate;

keel 2.8–3.5 mm, crest 2-parted, with 2 or 3 entire or 2-fid lobes on each side.

Capsules

with winged, stipelike base, strongly oblique, subglobose, 2–2.5 × 1.8–2.1 mm, margins not winged.

Seeds

1.1–1.5 mm, short-pubescent;

aril 0.9–1.1 mm, lobes usually 2/3+ length of seed, rarely shorter or absent.

2n

= 36, 40.

Polygala cruciata

Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Wet meadows, marshes, savannas, bogs, pocosins, sand dunes.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Polygalacruciata var. aquilonia is usually a more northern form with broader leaf blades, shorter peduncles, narrower racemes, and more abruptly short-acuminate wing apices (versus strongly cuspidate and acuminate) than the more southern var. cruciata. Extreme forms can appear distinctive. However, in the absence of detailed populational study, these traditionally recognized varieties of P. cruciata do not merit taxonomical recognition at any rank. This species was known from Ontario but appears to be extirpated from Canada.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Polygalaceae > Polygala
Sibling taxa
P. alba, P. appendiculata, P. balduinii, P. boykinii, P. brevifolia, P. chapmanii, P. crenata, P. curtissii, P. cymosa, P. glochidata, P. hemipterocarpa, P. hookeri, P. incarnata, P. leptostachys, P. lewtonii, P. lutea, P. mariana, P. nana, P. nuttallii, P. polygama, P. ramosa, P. rugelii, P. sanguinea, P. scoparioides, P. senega, P. setacea, P. smallii, P. verticillata, P. vulgaris, P. watsonii
Synonyms P. aquilonia, P. cruciata subsp. aquilonia, P. cruciata var. aquilonia, P. ramosior
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 706. (1753)
Web links