Hemp dogbane – Apocynum cannabinum - Plant & Pest Diagnostics

The photo is of a hemp dogbane plant with small white flowers.

Hemp dogbane – Apocynum cannabinum

Apocynum cannabinum L.

Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)

MI Status

Native

Life cycle

Erect, patch-forming perennial.

Leaves

Opposite, narrow oval to egg-shaped, 2 to 5 inches long with smooth margins. The upper leaf surface is usually pale to bluish green and smooth; the lower leaf surface may be sparsely hairy. Leaves are smaller than those of common milkweed and exude a milky sap when damaged.

Stems

Erect, up to 6-foot-tall, slender, hairless, reddish stems are herbaceous and multibranched at the top and semiwoody at the base. Stems exude a milky sap when damaged.

Flowers and fruit

Small, white to greenish white, bell-shaped flowers are found in flat- to round-topped clusters. Fruit are 4- to 8-inch-long, narrow, reddish brown, sickle-shaped
capsules that usually occur in pairs. Pods split open at maturity to release small, spindle-shaped seeds, each with a tuft of long, silky hairs that aid in wind dissemination.

Reproduction

Seeds, creeping roots and rhizomes.

The photo is of a field shot of hemp dogbane, This plant is tall up to 6 foot and has small white flowers. — Field shot of hemp dogbane

The photo is a close up of a hemp dogbane flower. It has small white bell shaped flowers that are found in flat to round topped clusters. — Hemp dogbane flower

The photo is of a branch of hemp dogbane that has been broken off the plant. It has small white flowers. Next to it is the fruit. They are pods that are 4-8 inches long. — Hemp dogbane fruit

The photo is of a small hemp dogbane plant. It has opposite oval leaves. — Hemp dogbane plant

The photo is of the stem of hemp dogbane. It is hairless and reddish stems. Stems exude a milky sap when damaged. — Hemp dogbane leaf

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Plant & Pest Diagnostics