hemp dogbane
Family
ApocynaceaeScientific Name
Apocynum cannabinum
Other Common Names:
Indian hemp
wild cotton
rheumatism root
amy root
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Apocynum pubescens
Apocynum suksdorfii
Apocynum hypericifolium
Apocynum sibiricum
Habit
Plants sprout in early spring and bloom, and the seed sets in summer. Brown stalks with split seed pods often persist into the winter; they are from 2 to 4 feet high with erect branches. Stems are often dark reddish-brown in color.
Leaves
Sharp-pointed, short-stalked leaves from 2 to 6 inches long, smooth edged, slightly pubescent or lack hairs. Leaves are arranged oppositely along the stem. Lower leaves have stems while upper leaves may not. All plant parts, including leaves, exude a milky sap when broken.
Identifying Characteristics
The plant secretes a milky juice when bruised or broken. Plants produce spreading rhizomes and often grow in large colonies.
Flower Seed Head
Small greenish white flowers which appear from June to August are borne in dense heads followed later by the slender pointed pods, which are about 4 inches in length.
Seed Fruit
Seeds are produced in slender pods that are initially green and then turn to red and eventually dark brown. Seeds are elongated and reddish-brown with a slightly ribbed surface. Length is approximately 5 to 6 mm. Each seed is attached to a fine plume of silky hairs that allows the seed to float on the wind.
Where Found
In thickets and along the borders of odd fields. Especially common along roadsides in dense patches that increase in size over time due to spreading rhizomes.
Growth Habit
upright and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
pencil
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
white,
yellow,
green
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
Varies:
lance,
oval
Leaf Arrangement
opposite
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
present
Root Structure
Varies:
fibrous,
rhizomes present
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb