Polygala sanguinea |
Polygala brevifolia |
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blood milkwort, blood or purple or field milkwort, field milkwort, polygale sanguin, purple milkwort |
littleleaf milkwort, short-leaf milkwort |
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Habit | Herbs annual, single-stemmed, (0.5–)1–4 dm, usually branched distally; from taproot (or rarely fibrous root cluster). | Herbs annual, single-stemmed, 1–4(–6) dm, usually much-branched distally; from slender taproot, sometimes becoming fibrous root cluster. |
Stems | erect, glabrous. |
erect, glabrous. |
Leaves | alternate; sessile or subsessile; blade spatulate proximally to linear or narrowly elliptic distally, (5–)10–20(–40) × (0.5–)1–3(–5) mm, base acute or obtuse, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous. |
whorled proximally, often alternate distally; sessile or subsessile; blade obovate, oblanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or linear, 10–50 × 1–4(–7) mm, base cuneate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, surfaces glabrous. |
Racemes | capitate to densely cylindric, (0.5–)1–2(–4) × 0.5–1.4 cm; peduncle 0.3–2.5(–3) cm; bracts subpersistent to tardily deciduous, subulate. |
capitate, 1–3.5 × 1–1.6 cm; peduncle 0.8–5 cm; bracts persistent, narrowly triangular-ovate. |
Pedicels | 0.4–1.5 mm, glabrous. |
0.7–2 mm, glabrous. |
Flowers | usually pink, purple, or reddish purple, rarely white, sometimes greenish tinged, sepals sometimes pink or white, 4–6 mm; sepals oval, elliptic-ovate, or lanceolate, 1–3 mm; wings ovate to broadly elliptic, (2.6–)4.5–6.3 × (1–)2.5–3.5 mm, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, sometimes minutely apiculate, rarely acute; keel 2.5–3 mm, crest 2-parted, with 2–4 lobes on each side. |
purple or pink, wings sometimes green-tinged, sepals often pink, 3.5–4.5 mm; sepals suborbiculate to ovate, 0.8–1.5 mm; wings ovate or ovate-oblong, 3–4.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, apex acute, short-mucronate; keel 2.8–3.8 mm, crest 2-parted, with 3 or 4 lobes on each side, or lobes entire. |
Capsules | usually with flattened, sterile base, cuneate-subglobose, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, margins not winged (sometimes with raised rim). |
globose or globose-reniform, 2 × 2 mm, margins not winged. |
Seeds | 1.3–1.7 mm, pubescent; aril 1–1.3 mm, lobes usually (1/2–)2/3 to ± length of seed, rarely minute. |
1.3–1.5 mm, sparsely pubescent; aril 0.8–1.3 mm, lobes 2/3+ length of seed. |
Polygala sanguinea |
Polygala brevifolia |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Prairies, old fields, gravelly logging road margins, meadows, glades, bogs, flatwoods, open woods. | Savannas, pocosins, sandy swamps, coastal swales. |
Elevation | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; NJ; NY
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Discussion | Polygala sanguinea is the only species of the genus in the flora area with the wings to twice the length of the keel. Late season flowers can have much smaller wings, some as small as 2.6 × 1 mm. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Polygala brevifolia is very similar to P. cruciata, from which it is most readily distinguished by the usually much longer peduncle and by the wings acute or slightly acuminate (versus cuspidate). Ecologically, P. brevifolia tends to be more restricted to wetter areas, such as bogs and seeps. Although reported for Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia, no vouchers are known. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | Polygalaceae > Polygala | Polygalaceae > Polygala |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. viridescens | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 705. (1753) | Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 89. (1818) |
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