Polygala verticillata

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 706. 1753.

Common names: Whorled milkwort polygale verticillé
Synonyms: Polygala ambigua Nuttall P.pretzii pennell P. verticillata var. ambigua (Nuttall) Alph. Wood P. verticillata var. dolichoptera Fernald P. verticillata var. isocycla Fernald P. verticillata var. sphenostachya Pennell
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 10.

Herbs annual, single-stemmed, 0.5–3(–4) dm, usually branched distally; from slender taproot. Stems erect, sometimes slightly glaucous, glabrous. Leaves usually whorled proximally, sometimes whorled to inflorescence, opposite to alternate distally, rarely alternate throughout; sessile or subsessile, petiole rarely to 1 mm; blade sometimes linear-spatulate proximally, usually linear, linear-oblong, -elliptic, or -lanceolate distally, (5–)10–20(–30) × 0.5–5.5 mm, base cuneate to acute, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous. Racemes nearly spike­like, conic to cylindric-conic, 0.5–5 × 0.2–0.6 cm, some­times interrupted proximally, with some proximal fruits persistent below gap; peduncle to 9 cm (usually elongate); bracts deciduous, subulate to lanceolate. Pedicels 0.2–1(–2) mm, glabrous. Flowers white or with greenish or pinkish tinge, sepals sometimes purplish or whitish, 1–2.2(–2.6) mm; sepals ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, 0.5–1.6 mm, ciliate; wings suborbiculate, ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 1–2.6 × 0.8–2.5 mm, apex obtuse to bluntly rounded; keel 1.2–1.8 mm, crest 2-parted, with 1 or 2 lobes on each side. Capsules subglobose or broadly ellipsoid to ovoid, 1.3–2.4 × 0.7–2.2 mm, margins not winged. Seeds 1.2–2.2 mm, pubescent; aril 0.5–1 mm, lobes 1/3–1/2 length of seed. 2n = 34.


Phenology: Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat: Meadows, prairies, open woodlands, sand dunes, old fields, open places (limestone glades, railroad rights-of-way, rock quarries).
Elevation: 0–2100 m.

Distribution

Man., N.B., Ont., Que., Sask., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Utah, Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties of Polygala verticillata have been recognized; they co-occur and intergrade, suggesting that they are polymorphisms not worthy of taxonomic recognition.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Polygala verticillata"
J. Richard Abbott +
Linnaeus +
Whorled milkwort +  and polygale verticillé +
Man. +, N.B. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +  and Wyo. +
0–2100 m. +
Meadows, prairies, open woodlands, sand dunes, old fields, open places (limestone glades, railroad rights-of-way, rock quarries). +
Flowering spring–fall. +
Polygala ambigua +, P.pretzii pennell +, P. verticillata var. ambigua +, P. verticillata var. dolichoptera +, P. verticillata var. isocycla +  and P. verticillata var. sphenostachya +
Polygala verticillata +
Polygala +
species +