Difference between revisions of "Polygala rugelii"

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==Description==  
 
==Description==  
 
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''P. rugelii'' is an annual species, however, sometimes can be a biennial. In the spring, the irregular rosette is composed of spatulate leaves. The flower stalk arises in summer and the basal rosette will disappear. The stalk can reach 1 to 3 feet high and is often branched<ref name="hawthorn"/>.
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==

Revision as of 10:40, 23 February 2016

Polygala rugelii
Poly ruge.jpg
Photo by Wayne Matchett, SpaceCoastWildflowers.com
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Fabales
Family: Polygalaceae
Genus: Polygala
Species: P. rugelii
Binomial name
Polygala rugelii
Shuttlw. ex Chapm.
Poly ruge dist.jpg
Natural range of Polygala rugelii from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: yellow milkwort

Taxonomic notes

It is named for the German botanist, Ferdinand Rugel, who collected plants in Florida during the early 1800s[1].

Description

P. rugelii is an annual species, however, sometimes can be a biennial. In the spring, the irregular rosette is composed of spatulate leaves. The flower stalk arises in summer and the basal rosette will disappear. The stalk can reach 1 to 3 feet high and is often branched[2].

Distribution

P. rugelii is endemic to the Florida peninsula[2].

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida, P. rugelii can occur in wiregrass/saw palmetto/pine associations, cypress bays and flatwood marshes. It has occurred in disturbed areas such as cleared pine flatwoods and a recently timber harvested bayhead (FSU Herbarium). It grows in peaty-sandy soil (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include wiregrass, saw palmetto, pine, and cypress (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Seed dispersal

Seed bank and germination

Fire ecology

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Polygala rugelii at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Apidae: Mellisodes communis

Halictidae: Augochlorella gratiosa

Megachilidae: Megachile brevis pseudobrevis

Sphecidae: Ammophila pictipennis

Use by animals

Diseases and parasites

Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: November 2015. Collectors: A. Gholson Jr., Robert K. Godfrey, R.A. Norris, A.G. Shuey. States and Counties: Florida: Gilchrist, Manatee, Volusia. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.

  1. [[1]]All Things Plants. Accessed: February 20, 2016
  2. 2.0 2.1 [[2]] Native Florida Wildflowers. Accessed: February 22, 2016