Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect or ascending, slender, usually several, rarely branched, angled, glabrous.
- Leaves
- Alternate, simple, sessile, narrowly oblanceolate below to linear above, 1/4 to 1 inch long, less than 1/10 inch wide, glabrous; margins entire, sometimes curling under; lower leaves often clustered.
- Inflorescence
- Racemes, spike-like, 1 to 3 inches long, tapered toward tips, terminal, on long stalks.
- Flower
- About 1/8 inch long, white with green centers; sepals 5, 2 lateral sepals larger and petal-like; petals 3, rounded, united into tube that is split on back and fused with stamens; stamens 8.
- Fruit
- Capsules, elliptic, 2-seeded; seeds tiny, dark, silky-hairy.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Dry, rocky or sandy prairie hillsides, ravines, and thickets.
- Distribution
- Principally west 1/2 of Kansas.
Practical Information
- Uses
- Native Americans used the roots of white milkwort to treat earaches.
Additional Notes
Comments
The name "milkwort" comes from an ancient belief that nursing mothers could increase lactation by eating plants of this genus.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Polygalaceae - Milkwort Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 4-16 inches
- Last Updated
- 2007-10-26
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July