Apocynum androsaemifolium var. pumilum L. A. Gray
spreading dogbane
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
spreading dogbane
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Apocynum androsaemifolium var. pumilum
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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 |