Plant Image
Flowers
Coconino NF west of FR618 - John Kava


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Polygala alba - white milkwort

Synonyms: Polygala alba var. suspecta
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Polygalaceae


   
 
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Leaves
Coconino NF west of FR618
John Kava
Leaves
Coconino NF west of FR618
John Kava
Plant - summer
Coconino NF west of FR618
John Kava
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial
General Desc: Numerous slender, erect stems curve upward from the top of the slender taproot. Stems are topped by tiny, white, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in narrowly cone-shaped spike of up to 4 dozen tiny white to whitish flowers.
Identification notes: Decumbent to erect plant, usually with several hairless stems from the root; stems have narrow, alternate leaves; flowers are in terminal spikes, white or whitish, keel petal with a hairy conspicuous crest; seed capsule is not winged.
Height: 14 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Roadsides and fields, dry, rocky or sandy areas, plains and hills.
Plant Communities: Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 5000 - 7500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: White with purplish tips     Shape: Irregular in elongated clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: May - Sep
Description: White irregular flowers to 1/8 inch long with greenish tinge in their center, sometimes purplish before flowers open; flowers are in narrow spikes up to 3 inches long on a slender stem.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Dark green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Alternate     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: No     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Leaves very narrow to 1-1/4 inches long, in whorls at the base and at intervals along the upper stem. The whorls of leaves near bottom of stems are early-deciduous.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Elliptic, slightly flattened, splitting open longitudinally to release 2 seeds.
Seed Notes: Tiny, dark, silky-hairy.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
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Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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