Polygala alba (White Milkwort) - photos and description
General: Plants decumbent to erect, usually with several stems from the caudex. Stems simple. Plants glabrous.
Flowers: Flowers are white and grow in terminal spikes, we measured a spike at 6 cm long, and a flower at 4 mm long.
Leaves: Leaves are cauline, alternate, linear; we measured a leaf at 4 cm long and 2 mm wide.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 40 cm, we measured plants to 27 cm tall.
Habitat: Dry grassland in southeast Saskatchewan.
Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: This plant might be mistaken for Polygala senega which has a similar growth habit and inflorescence. However that plant has lanceolate leaves, whereas Polygala alba has linear leaves. Budd's Flora and Taxonomic Reminder for Recognizing Saskatchewan Plants also both list as a distinguishing characteristic the shape of the inflorescence - oblong for P. senega, cylindrical for P. alba. I haven't found this helpful because I've seen oblong spikes on both plant species.
When and where photographed: Photos taken June 12th sandy track on a hilltop, Roche Percee, about 225 km southeast of Regina, SK, and June 19th, 20th, and July 21st in the Souris River valley, about 200 km southeast of our home in Regina, SK.