Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Saturday - June 07, 2008

From: Stouffville, ON
Region: Canada
Topic: Rare or Endangered Plants, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Information about pink milkwort (Polygala incarnata)
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Why is the pink Milkwort (Polygala incarnata) and what is it's niche?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is a little puzzled by your question, but perhaps you meant to say is "What is the pink milkwort (Polygala incarnata) and what is its niche?" or maybe you meant to say is "Why is the pink milkwort (Polygala incarnata) on the Endangered Species list and what is its niche?" At any rate, here is what we can tell you about the pink milkwort:

Polygala incarnata (procession flower or pink milkwort) is listed on the Threatened and Endangered list for the following US states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It is also listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as endangered. You can read a report about the pink milkwort on the Canadian Species at Risk Public Registry page which includes information about its habitat, reasons for its endangered status, and monitoring, protection and recovery efforts.