Dogbane Family (Apocynaceæ)
A small family composed chiefly of poisonous tropical plants usually with milky, acrid juices.
(A) Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) is a rather unattractive species with a smooth branching stem, rising from vertical roots to heights of 1 to 4 feet. The ovate-pointed leaves are closely crowded on the stalk oppositely to one another.
The small, five-parted, greenish-white flowers grow in terminal clusters. We find this species very abundant in dry fields and thickets throughout our range; it flowers from June to August.
(B) Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsæmifolium) is a much more attractive species than its relative just mentioned. It grows from 1 to 4 feet high, and has many long, spreading branches. The short-stemmed, broadly ovate-pointed, pale-green leaves grow oppositely, to the ends of the branches. The clusters of flowers terminating the branches are composed of pink, bell-shaped blossoms, having five pointed, recurved lobes.