Polygala cornuta
Encyclopedia
Polygala cornuta is a species of flowering plant in the milkwort family
known by the common name Sierra milkwort. It is native to many of the mountain ranges of California
and northern Baja California
, where it grows in local habitat types such as chaparral
and forest. It is a rhizomatous
perennial herb or shrub
known to exceed 2 meters in maximum height, spreading or growing erect. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or narrowly oval, up to 6.5 centimeters long, and widely spaced along the branches. The inflorescence
is a short array of flowers varying in color from greenish or yellowish white to pink. Each has two winglike lateral sepals, and the keeled central petal is tipped with a short beak. The fruit is a brownish flattened capsule.
Polygalaceae
The Polygalaceae or Milkwort family is a family of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 17 genera and 900–1,000 species of herbs, shrubs and trees...
known by the common name Sierra milkwort. It is native to many of the mountain ranges of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in local habitat types such as chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and forest. It is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
known to exceed 2 meters in maximum height, spreading or growing erect. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or narrowly oval, up to 6.5 centimeters long, and widely spaced along the branches. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a short array of flowers varying in color from greenish or yellowish white to pink. Each has two winglike lateral sepals, and the keeled central petal is tipped with a short beak. The fruit is a brownish flattened capsule.