Apocynaceae
Dogbane Family
Apocynum sibiricum Jacq.
- Stem: perennial; 2 1/2’ to 4’ tall; branched near the top; reddish; milky juice in the stem and leaves; smooth.
- Leaves: opposite; squarish leaf shape with parallel sides; heart-shaped to rounded bases and abrupt, sharp tips; 2 1/2” to 3” by 1 1/8”; leaf stalks very short to absent; smooth above and below.
- Inflorescence: small clusters of flowers on branching flower stalks from the stem tip and upper leaf axils.
- Flowers: corolla white, 1/8” long with five petal-tips; calyx 1/16” long; flowering from late June to early August.
- Fruits: seedpods are long, narrow follicles; 3” long by 3/32” in diameter; usually in pairs; seeds with a tuft of cottony hairs at one end; fruiting begins in mid-July.
- Habitat: infrequent on moist prairies; also on roadsides and in other disturbed places; often growing in patches.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
