Polygala sanguinea |
Polygala vulgaris |
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blood milkwort, blood or purple or field milkwort, field milkwort, polygale sanguin, purple milkwort |
common milkwort, European 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 short-lived perennial, usually multi-stemmed, rarely with 1 or few stems, 1.5–4 dm, unbranched or branched distally; from small, thickened, woody caudex. |
Stems | erect, glabrous. |
erect to decumbent, pubescent or subglabrous, hairs incurved. |
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. |
alternate; sessile or subsessile; blade narrowly oblanceolate-spatulate to elliptic or lanceolate, 5–35 × 1–5 mm, base cuneate, apex rounded or acute, 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. |
broadly cylindric, usually elongate, 0.5–2.5(–9) × 0.5–2 cm; peduncle usually poorly developed, 0.2–1.5(–2.5) cm; peduncle and central axis pubescent; bracts deciduous, lanceolate. |
Pedicels | 0.4–1.5 mm, glabrous. |
1.5–4(–5.8) 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. |
blue, pink, or white, 5–8 mm; sepals ovate to elliptic, 1.6–3.5 mm, pubescent; wings obovate, 3–5 × 2–3 mm, apex obtuse to bluntly rounded; keel 5–8 mm, crest 2-parted, with 2–4 lobes on each side. |
Capsules | usually with flattened, sterile base, cuneate-subglobose, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, margins not winged (sometimes with raised rim). |
broadly ellipsoid, ovoid, or slightly obovoid, (3–)4–6 × 2.5–4 mm, margins narrowly winged, rim 0.2–0.4 mm wide. |
Seeds | 1.3–1.7 mm, pubescent; aril 1–1.3 mm, lobes usually (1/2–)2/3 to ± length of seed, rarely minute. |
3.2–4.2 mm, pubescent; aril 1–1.7 mm, lobes 1/2 length of seed. |
2n | = 24–32, 34, 38, ca. 56, 68, ca. 70. |
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Polygala sanguinea |
Polygala vulgaris |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering spring–mid summer. |
Habitat | Prairies, old fields, gravelly logging road margins, meadows, glades, bogs, flatwoods, open woods. | Dry hillsides near dunes, meadows, grassy roadsides, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) | 0–400 m. (0–1300 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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MI; OR; WA; BC; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America] |
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.) |
A 1947 specimen of Polygala vulgaris from Vancouver Island (at V) reported this species as apparently naturalized (H. J. Scoggan 1978–1979, part 3). Two other collections (both at V) are known from nearby, at Comox in 1941 and on Texada Island in 1999, the latter with approximately 150 clumps, according to the collector. Polygala vulgaris appears to be naturalized, at least locally, along the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia. The Michigan collections (MICH) are from 1916 and 1974 from different counties, suggesting that P. vulgaris may be sparsely naturalized in Michigan or just a casual waif. In Oregon, there are six collections (OSC, WTU) from 1950 to 2018 from three different counties, documenting a long-term presence. There is a single collection (WTU) from 2014 from Clark County, Washington. This taxon seems naturalized in North America, at least in British Columbia, Oregon, and probably Washington. (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) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 702. (1753) |
Web links |
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