INDIAN HEMP: AMY-ROOT
(Apocynum cannabinum) Dogbane family
Flowers - Greenish white, about 1/4 in. across, on short
pedicels, in dense clusters at ends of branches and from the
axils. Calyx of 5 segments; corolla nearly erect, bell-shaped,
5-lobed, with 5 small triangular appendages alternating with the
stamens within its tube. Stem: 1 to 4 ft. high, branching,
smooth, often dull reddish, from a deep, vertical root. Leaves:
Opposite, entire, 2 to 6 in. long, mostly oblong, abruptly
pointed, variable. Fruit: A pair of slender pods, the numerous
seeds tipped with tufts of hairs.
Preferred Habitat - Gravelly soil, banks of streams, low fields.
Flowering Season - June-August.
Distribution - Almost throughout the United States and British
Possessions.
Instead of setting a trap to catch flies and hold them by the
tongue in a vise-like grip until death alone releases them, as
its heartless sister the spreading dogbane does (q.v.), this
awkward, rank herb lifts clusters of smaller, less conspicuous,
but innocent, flowers, with nectar secreted in rather shallow
receptacles, that even short-tongued insects may feast without
harm.
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