Polygala obscura – Velvetseed Milkwort
Plant Name
Scientific Name: Polygala obscura
Synonyms: Polygala orthotricha, P. puberula
Common Name: Velvetseed Milkwort
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: Greenish purple
Flowering Season: Summer. This wildflower blooms after the summer monsoon rains have arrived.
Height: To 2 feet (61 cm) tall
Description: The flowers have 2 petal-like lateral sepals and a tubular, dorsally-cleft, central keel of fused petals. The flowers are followed by velvety, ovate, green seed capsules that dry and flatten to translucent seed disks. The leaves are green, alternate and broadly linear to narrowly lanceolate. The stems are green, upright, and covered in fuzzy, flattened or curved hairs.
The similar Blue Milkwort (Polygala barbeyana) has narrower leaves.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Polygalales
Family: Polygalaceae – Milkwort family
Genus: Polygala L. – polygala
Species: Polygala obscura Benth. – velvetseed milkwort
More About This Plant
