Minnesota Wildflowers


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Polygala senega (Seneca Snakeroot)

Plant Info
Also known as: Mountain Flax, Rattlesnake Snakeroot
Genus:Polygala
Family:Polygalaceae (Milkwort)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; sandy or rocky soil, open woods, prairies, stream banks
Bloom season:May - July
Plant height:10 to 18 inches
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: indistinct irregular spike

[photo of flowers] Tapering spikes to 2 inches long of 1/8 inch, white flowers tinged with green. Individual flowers are flanked bi-laterally by round winged sepals with three other sepals (one tipped with minute fringes) enclosing the flower column. The flowers drop off as soon as seed begins to develop. Flowers bloom from the bottom of the spike up.

Leaves and stem: alternate simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are slender, about 3/8 inch wide and 1 to 2 inches long, toothless, mostly hairless, tapering to a pointed at the tip, with little or no leaf stem, alternately attached. A plant typically has a multiple, unbranched stems emerging from the root system, in a clump. Stems may be green or purplish, and hairy to varying degrees, especially in the upper part of the stem.

Fruit:

[photo of fruit] Fruit is a round, slightly flattened capsule.

Notes:

This milkwort species is generally found SW of a line from Kittson county in the NW, running down through the Metro to Houston county in the SE. It frequents open grasslands and woodland openings. The flower spike is similar to the related Whorled Milkweed (P. verticillata) but the latter has whorled leaves and usually branches frequently.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Rice Creek Trail Regional Park, Shoreview, MN May and July 2009

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Kent in Twin Cities
on: 2011-06-12 08:37:12

Anybody out there know where to find a stand of Seneca Snakeroot? I would like to establish it in my prairie garden. The seed is hard to find commercially and I have had little luck in growing it from purchased seed. I would like to see it in the wild and find a seed collection site.

Posted by: K. Chayka
on: 2011-06-12 15:26:04

While we do encourage people to go out and explore, I just want to mention that before collecting any seed from any land that is not your own, get permission from the landowner. Collecting anything from public land is not generally permitted, though.

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