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Senega rugelii (Shuttleworth ex Chapman)
Yellow Milkwort
Yellow Bachelor's Button
Synonym(s): Polygala rugelii Shuttlew. ex Chapm.
Florida native
Endemic to Florida
A common plant of wet flatwoods that is found only in the Florida peninsula. The range extends from Dixie and Lafayette Counties in the Big Bend area to Flagler County on the east coast and southward, not including Monroe County (Everglades and the keys).
The inflorescence is a solitary thimble shaped head of tiny lemon yellow flowers. This cluster is pointed at the apex and up to 3 cm (1-1/8 in.) tall and 2.5 cm (1 in.) wide. Yellow milkwort can grow to 81 cm tall (32 in.) but is almost always much shorter. The leaves are alternate, entire and smooth, with the lower ones obovate and the upper oblanceolate or lanceolate.
The insect seen in several of the yellow milkwort photos is a blister beetle.
Senega rugelii is a member of the Polygalaceae - Milkwort family.
Other species of the Senega genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Senega boykinii - BOYKIN'S MILKWORT
Senega cruciata - DRUMHEADS
Senega incarnata - PROCESSION FLOWER
Senega lewtonii - LEWTON'S MILKWORT
Senega lutea - ORANGE MILKWORT
Senega nana - CANDYROOT
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 22, 2024
