Drumheads

Polygala

 cruciata

Drumheads (Polygala cruciata) grows in savannas and other wetlands of the eastern United States. The most conspicuous feature of the three-inch spike are not the flowers which are tiny yellow knobs, but the the plum-toned triangular sepals or wings surrounding the flower. It is a member of the the Milkwort family which get its name, not from milky sap, but from the belief that the plants increased the milk production of nursing mothers and livestock.

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