spreading dogbane
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Ian Cumming (Photo ID #6016)
Map
Distribution of Apocynum androsaemifolium
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
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
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
836 | 60 | 1802 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
37 | 0 | 103 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
189 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1021 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(11), BWBS(30), CWH(22), ESSF(13), ICH(322), IDF(389), MS(51), PP(84), SBPS(8), SBS(44) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
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
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Apocynum ambigens Greene
Apocynum androsaemifolium subsp. pumilum (Gray) Boivin
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. glabrum Macoun
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. griseum (Greene) BTg. & Bel.
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. incanum A. DC.
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. intermedium Woods.
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. pumilum Gray
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. tomentellum (Greene) Boivin
Apocynum androsaemifolium var. woodsonii Boivin
Apocynum pumilum (A. Gray) Greene
Apocynum pumilum var. rhomboideum (Greene) BΘg. & Beloserky
Apocynum scopulorum Greene ex Rydb.
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 |