Indian Hemp, Apocynum cannabinum L., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Dogbane

(Indianhemp) The Dogbanes are plants with a milky juice, short bell-shaped flowers with five lobes, widely branched at the top with the flowers in clusters. The plant likes to grow in thickets, usually three to six feet in height. The 2 to 4 inch leaves are opposite, oblong to ovate with the lower ones rounded at the base and stalked. The Dogbanes have five lobed flowers, bell or tubular shaped. Here we have small tubular flowers (1/8 to 1/4”) white to greenish white, with erect lobes, clustered at the end of branches. Seed pods are in pairs, are very thin and long - up to 8 inches, which when split open release many seeds, each with a tuff of long white hairs at the top, resembling Milkweed. Juice is milky The seeds form in long, thin pods and when released have white filaments attached for easy transport by air currents. The leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. The Upland Garden in prior years had many more of these plants than are resident now. Indianhemp requires cutting of stems in the fall or burning to stimulate vigorous spring growth.

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Prairie Dogbane	Apocynum cannabinum L.	Dogbane	Upland	Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Indianhemp) The Dogbanes are plants with a milky juice, short bell-shaped flowers with five lobes, widely branched at the top with the flowers in clusters. The plant likes to grow in thickets, usually three to six feet in height. The 2 to 4 inch leaves are opposite, oblong to ovate with the lower ones rounded at the base and stalked. The Dogbanes have five lobed flowers, bell or tubular shaped. Here we have small tubular flowers (1/8 to 1/4”) white to greenish white, with erect lobes, clustered at the end of branches. Seed pods are in pairs, are very thin and long - up to 8 inches, which when split open release many seeds, each with a tuff of long white hairs at the top, resembling Milkweed. Juice is milky The seeds form in long, thin pods and when released have white filaments attached for easy transport by air currents. The leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. The Upland Garden in prior years had many more of these plants than are resident now. Indianhemp requires cutting of stems in the fall or burning to stimulate vigorous spring growth.