_Polygala sanguinea (P. viridescens)_
_Flowers_--Numerous, very small, variable; bright magenta pink, or
almost red, or pale to whiteness, or greenish, clustered in a globular
clover-like head, gradually lengthening to a cylindric spike. _Stem_: 6
to 15 in. high, smooth, branched above, leafy. _Leaves_: Alternate,
narrowly oblong, entire.
_Preferred Habitat_--Fields and meadows, moist or sandy.
_Flowering Season_--June-September.
_Distribution_--Southern Canada to North Carolina, westward to the
Mississippi.
When these bright clover-like heads and the inconspicuous greenish ones
grow together, the difference between them is so striking it is no
wonder Linnaeus thought they were borne by two distinct species,
_Sanguinea_ and _viridescens_, whereas they are now known to be merely
two forms of the same flower. At first glance one might mistake the
irregular little blossom for a member of the pea family; two of the five
very unequal sepals--not petals--are colored wings. These bright-hued
calyx-parts overlap around the flower-head like tiles on a roof. Within
each pair of wings are three petals united into a tube, split on the
back, to expose the vital organs to contact with the bee, the milkwort’s
best friend.
Plants of this genus were named polygala, the Greek for much milk, not
because they have milky juice--for it is bitter and clear--but because
feeding on them is supposed to increase the flow of cattle’s milk.