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Photographer: Kitty Kohout
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Family Polygalaceae
Polygala incarnata L.
pink milkwort, procession flower
Polygala: from Greek polys, "many or much," and gala, "milk," since it was thought that the presence of some of the species in a pasture increased the yield of milk
incarnata: Latin for "flesh" sometimes for flesh color of flowers
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| Status: | Endangered |
| Plant: | erect, annual, 8"-24" tall forb; stems mostly solitary, smooth |
| Flower: | pink to pale rose, 5-parted, 1/3" long, almost twice as long as wide, 5 petal-like sepals with the 3 inner ones small and the 2 outer ones large and wing-like; inflorescence a 1/3"-1 1/2" dense cluster (raceme); blooms June-Aug. |
| Fruit: | hairy |
| Leaf: | linear, alternate |
| Habitat: | dry; upland woods, barrens, prairies |
| (Glossary) |
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