Apocynum androsaemifolium var. androsaemifolium
spreading dogbane
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
spreading dogbane
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Map
Distribution of Apocynum androsaemifolium var. androsaemifolium
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Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems erect, glabrous or hairy, often reddish, 20-70 cm tall, branching; plants with milky juice.
Leaves:
Stem leaves opposite, spreading and drooping, narrow, oval to elliptic, short-stalked, 3-8 cm long, glabrous above, usually hairy beneath.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of compound, flat-topped clusters; corollas pink or whitish with white veins, sweet scented, 4-10 mm long.
Fruits:
Long cylindric pods, 5-12 cm long, seeds numerous with long tufts of cottony hairs (coma).
Notes:
Two varieties occur in BC:
1. Corollas bell-shaped, 5-10 mm long; pods drooping..................... var. androsaemifolium
1. Corollas more tubular, 4-7 mm long; pods usually erect........................ var. pumilum A. Gray
Habitat and Range
Dry roadsides, fields, meadows and open forests in the lowland to subalpine zones; common throughout BC except the Queen Charlotte Islands and adjacent coast; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to GA, TX, NM and CA.Status Information
Taxonomic Keys
1. Corollas greenish-white to white, 2-4.5 mm long, usually less than twice as long as the calyces; leaves ascending................. A. cannabinum
1. Corollas pinkish, 3.5-10 mm long, usually more than twice as long as the calyces; leaves spreading to drooping. 2. Calyces usually at least half as long as the corollas, lobes abruptly sharp-pointed to long-pointed ............................x A. floribundum 2. Calyces usually less than half as long as the corollas, lobes obtuse .....................A. androsaemifolium |