''Polygala sanguinea'', known as purple milkwort, field milkwort,
or blood milkwort
is an
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...
in the
Polygalaceae
The Polygalaceae or the milkwort family are made up of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 27 genera and ''ca''. 900 known species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in one ...
(milkwort) family. It is native to central and eastern North America.
Description
''P. sanguinea'' grows to a height of . The plant has a single, generally unbranched, hairless stem that terminates in a spike-like dense
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of flowers that is approximately long and across. The flowers are pink, green, or occasionally white. After blooming, the flowers are replaced by 2 hairy seeds within a capsule. The leaves are widely spaced along the stem, alternate, and linear or narrowly elliptical.
When crushed, the root of the plant smells of wintergreen.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is native to widespread areas of eastern North America. It is native in the United States from New Mexico to the west, the Canadian border to the north, Texas to the south, and the coast to the east (except in Florida). In Canada, it is native in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
''P. sanguinea'' is it generally found in wet, acidic soils in open areas such as prairies and fields.
Ecology
Flowers bloom from May to October.
Small to medium-sized bees and bee flies are attracted to the pollen and nectar.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16757636
sanguinea
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus