''Apocynum androsaemifolium'', the fly-trap dogbane or spreading dogbane, is a flowering plant in the

Gentianales Gentianales is an order of flowering plants, included within the asterid clade of eudicots. It comprises more than 20,000 species in about 1,200 genera in 5 families. More than 80% of the species in this order belong to the family Rubiaceae. Man ...

order. It is common in North America.

Description

''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb with branching stems, hairs on the underside of the leaves, and no hair on the stems. It grows to , exceptionally . Milky sap appears on broken stems. Its leaves appear as pointed ovals, with entire leaf margins and alternate venation. Pairs of pink flowers bloom at the end of stalks between June and September. Two seed pods in length contain silky-haired seeds.

Taxonomy

Subspecies and varieties

Subspecies and varieties include: # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' subsp. ''androsaemifolium'' - E Canada, W United States # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' var. ''griseum'' (Greene) Bég. & Belosersky - Ontario, British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' var. ''incanum'' A.DC. - widespread in Canada, United States, NE Mexico # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' var. ''intermedium'' Woodson - Colorado # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' subsp. ''pumilum'' (A.Gray) B.Boivin - British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, California, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' var. ''tomentellum'' (Greene) B.Boivin - British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada # ''Apocynum androsaemifolium'' var. ''woodsonii'' B.Boivin - Alberta, British Columbia, Washington State, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho

Etymology

'' Apocynum androsaemifolium '' Linnaeus. From the Greek 'apo': far from and 'kyôn': dog, because of its toxic effects on dogs; Androsema-leaved '' androsaemifolium '' (''Hypericum androsaemum'').

Distribution and habitat

The plant is widespread across most of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

(including

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

but excluding

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

), and northeast

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Its native habitats include forests, woodlands, forest edges, prairies, meadows, and fields. It prefers dry soils at low to medium elevations.

Ecology

Animals naturally avoid the plant.

Toxicity

The plant is poisonous due to the

cardiac glycoside Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses are as treatments for co ...

s and resins it contains. Escalating doses usually cause vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms include dizziness, colour hallucinations, cold sweats, and excessive urination. In extreme cases, the heart rate may slow before fatal convulsions. Young milkweed shoots must be distinguished from those of the androsemus leaf beetle because they appear at the same time.

Uses

Native Americans used spreading dogbane in numerous ways. The plant was used as a medicine to treat ailments including headaches, convulsions, ear ache, heart

palpitations Palpitations are perceived abnormalities of the heartbeat characterized by awareness of cardiac muscle contractions in the chest, which is further characterized by the hard, fast and/or irregular beatings of the heart. Symptoms include a rapi ...

, colds, insanity, dizziness,

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

, scrofula, and syphilis. The plant can also be used as a

contraceptive Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth cont ...

. Among the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, the root was used as a gynecological, oral, and throat aid, as well as an analgesic for headaches and a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

during pregnancy. The Ojibwe also consumed the root of the plant during the medicine lodge ceremony. The Forest

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

made medicinal use of the roots as well, and the Prairie Potawatomi used the plant's fruits to treat heart and kidney problems. The stem fibers of the plant are very strong, and Native Americans used them as a thread for sewing. Outside of the Americas, spreading dogbane was also used to treat

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

in Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

References

External links

* *
CalFlora Database, University of California: ''Apocynum androsaemifolium''
* *

Plants of Wisconsin
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2858412 Apocyneae Flora of Canada Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Subarctic America Flora of Alaska Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Flora of California Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Medicinal plants of North America Butterfly food plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status