Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Polygala nana
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Dwarf Milkwort from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The root has a sweet licorice flavor. Read more on Jim Fowler's blog.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygala nana
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10 (2021)
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 106-01-015:
Polygala nana FAMILY Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Pilostaxis nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH -
Pylostachya nana
COMMON NAME:
Dwarf Milkwort, Candyroot
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_pona2_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_nana_al_5_25_05_1
May
Inflorescence a dense pom-pom-like raceme, terminating leafy branches, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_nana_dwarf_2
August
Leaves typically in a basal rosette, spatulate; stem leaves smaller & few, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Polygala nana
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygala nana
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygala nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 106-01-015:
Polygala nana
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Pilostaxis nana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
-
Pylostachya nana
3050
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Longleaf pine flatwoods, other open moist areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in GA Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC) (historically in NC, but not recently seen)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly basal rosette with a few alternate stem leaves
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
Lemon yellow
Bilaterally symmetrical
5 sepals (three small, two larger petaloid "wings")
3 petals united into a tube
6 stamens united to corolla tube in 2 rows
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p240
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p344
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p222
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p043
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p288
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p163
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p199
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p191
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".