Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Senega verticillata +
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Polygala verticillata is very similar to P. ambigua. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The validity and relative distributions, habitats, phenology of Polygala verticillata's two varieties need additional assessment in the herbarium and the field, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygala verticillata +
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10 (2021)
Polygala verticillata
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygala verticillata
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 106-01-009a:
Polygala verticillata var. verticillata FAMILY Polygalaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of the Southeastern US (Small, 1913)
Polygala verticillata
COMMON NAME:
Whorled Milkwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_pove_001_lvd
)
Roxanna Martin rlm8710_196
August Spartanburg County SC
Racemes 3-6mm broad, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm8710_198
August Spartanburg County SC
Racemes 0.5-1.5cm long, the inflorescence compact and truncate below, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm8710_203
August Spartanburg County SC
Leaves linear to linear-oblong, lower usually opposite or in whorls of 3-5, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm8710_211
August Spartanburg County SC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Senega verticillata +
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygala verticillata +
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10
Polygala verticillata
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygala verticillata
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 106-01-009a:
Polygala verticillata var. verticillata
FAMILY
Polygalaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of the Southeastern US (Small, 1913)
Polygala verticillata
3272
Forb
Annual
Look for it in dry woodlands, woodland borders, openings, fields, per Weakley's Flora
Native
LEAVES:
Simple
Whorled, or whorled & alternate, or a few opposite
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White/ Greenish/ Pinkish
Bilaterally symmetrical
5 sepals (three small, two larger petaloid "wings")
3 petals united into a tube
8 stamens united to corolla tube in 2 rows
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p289
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p165?
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p199?
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p091?
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".