Calyx inferior; corolla deeply 5-parted, the
oblong segments turned back; a 5-parted, erect crown of hooded
nectaries between them and the stamens, each shorter than the
incurved horn within. Stem: 1 to 2 1/2 ft. tall, simple or
sparingly branched, hairy, leafy to summit, containing milky
juice. Leaves: In upright groups, very narrow, almost
thread-like, from 3 to 7 in each whorl. Fruit: 2 smooth, narrow,
spindle-shaped, upright pods, the seeds attached to silky fluff;
1 pod usually abortive.
Preferred Habitat - Dry fields, hills, uplands.
Flowering Season - July-September.
Distribution - Maine and far westward, south to Florida and
Mexico.
In describing the common milkweed (q.v.), so many statements were
made that apply quite as truly to this far daintier and more
ethereal species, the reader is referred back to the pink and
magenta section. Compared with some of its rank-growing, heavy
relatives, how exquisite is this little denizen of the uplands,
with its whorls of needle-like leaves set at intervals along a
slender swaying stem! The entire plant, with its delicate foliage
and greenish-white umbels of flowers, rather suggests a member of
the carrot tribe; and much the same class of small-sized,
short-tongued visitors come to seek its accessible nectar as we
find about the parsnips, for example.
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