Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, solitary or occasionally paired, straight, slender, mostly simple, minutely pubescent above, nearly glabrous below.
- Leaves
- Alternate to nearly opposite, simple, nearly sessile, narrowly linear, 1.5 to 7 inches long, less than .25 inch wide, minutely pubescent; margins entire, often rolling under; tips pointed.
- Inflorescence
- Umbels, few to several, mostly sessile in upper leaf axils, 10-25-flowered.
- Flower
- 5-parted, about 1/3 inch tall; calyx lobes lanceolate, green to purple-tinged, minutely pubescent; corolla lobes elliptic-lanceolate, pale greenish white to yellow, glabrous, bent abruptly downward; hoods narrowly oblong, white; tips appearing 3-lobed, middle lobe triangular, shorter than the 2 lateral lobes, representing horn.
- Fruit
- Pods, spindle-shaped, 4 to 5 inches long, 1/4 to 1/3 inch wide, minutely pubescent to nearly glabrous, erect on downward-curved stalks; seeds egg-shaped, tufted with tan hairs at tips.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Sandy or rocky limestone prairies.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Practical Information
- Uses
- The Lakota gave their children the root of narrow-leaved milkweed to stimulate their appetite.
Additional Notes
Comments
Formerly treated as Asclepiadaceae - Milkweed Family.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 8-40 inches
- Last Updated
- 2023-08-28
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: June, July, August