Scientific Family
Polygalaceae
Synonyms
Polygala alba var. suspecta
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
14 inches
Riparian
No
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.
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.
Habitat
Roadsides and fields, dry, rocky or sandy areas, plains and hills.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
5000
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
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.
Flower color
White with purplish tips
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
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.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Dark green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Elliptic, slightly flattened, splitting open longitudinally to release 2 seeds.
Fruit type
Capsule
Tiny, dark, silky-hairy.