Polygala grandiflora

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Asemeia grandiflora

Polygala grandiflora
Polygala grandiflora MS ID.jpg
Photo taken by Michelle M. Smith
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Polygalales
Family: Polygalaceae
Genus: Polygala
Species: P. grandiflora
Binomial name
Polygala grandiflora
Walter
POLY GRAN dist.jpg
Natural range of Polygala grandiflora from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Showy milkwort

Taxonomic notes

Description

Perennial that grows 6-12 inches in height including the elongated spike of pink or rosy flowers. Flowers average width of less than half an inch.[1]

Distribution

Ecology

Habitat

This species has been found growing within calcareous glades, upland pine woods, longleaf pine-scrub oak sand ridges, savannas, and sandhill communities (Deyrup et al 2002, FSU Herbarium). It has also been observed growing in swales of slash pine plantations (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

This species has been observed flowering and fruiting in May (FSU Herbarium).Cultivated plants may be in continuous bloom from earliest spring to late autumn, or even year round in southern Florida.[2]

Seed dispersal

This species is thought to be dispersed by ants and/or explosive dehiscence. [3]

Seed bank and germination

Fire ecology

Flowers within two months of burning in early summer (Robertson).

Pollination

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

Megachilidae: Anthidiellum notatum rufomaculatum

Use by animals

Deyrup observed this bee, Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum, on P. grandiflora (Deyrup et al 2002).Lilliputian moths pupa have been observed consuming the seeds inside the capsules.[4]

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.

Deyrup, M. J. E., and Beth Norden (2002). "The diversity and floral hosts of bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)." Insecta mundi 16(1-3).

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Ann F. Johnson, Wilson Baker, Roy Komarek, R. A. Norris, Robert K. Godfrey, A. Gholson Jr., Chris Cooksey, Kevin Oakes, and Lisa Keppner. States and Counties: Florida: Calhoun, Gadsden, Jackson, Leon, Sarasota, Wakulla, and Washington. Georgia: Grady and Thomas.

Robertson, Kevin M. 2014. Personal observation at Pebble Hill Plantation, Grady County, GA.

  1. Osorio R. 2004 The Wildflower Garden Showy Milkwort Palmetto 22(4):10-11
  2. Osorio R. 2004 The Wildflower Garden Showy Milkwort Palmetto 22(4):10-11
  3. Kirkman, L. Katherine. Unpublished database of seed dispersal mode of plants found in Coastal Plain longleaf pine-grasslands of the Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia.
  4. Osorio R. 2004 The Wildflower Garden Showy Milkwort Palmetto 22(4):10-11.