Chamaebuxus paucifolia

Often mistaken for an orchid, mature plants are perennials that are 3 to 6 inches tall. Stems are smooth, slender and green. Leaves are clustered at the top, appearing to be whorled, but they are not. Leaflets are oblong to lanceolate—narrow at the base with a pointed tip. Leaves have an entire margin and are thin. Flowers are pink and white, blooming in April and May. There are 60 tracked species of Polygaloides paucifolia in the United States alone. It is famed for its fringed, smaller flowers that are said to look like "birds in flight." == Taxonomy ==

This plant is part of the following classifications, completed by the United States Department of Agriculture. • Kingdom: Plantae - Plants • Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular Plants • Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed Plants • Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering Plants • Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons • Subclass: Rosidae • Order: Polygalales • Family: Polygalaceae Hoffmanns. & Link - Milkwort family P • Genus: Polygala L. - polygala P • Species: Polygala paucifolia Willd. - gaywings P == Etymology ==

The species was first described, as Polygala paucifolia, by Carl Ludwig Willdenow in 1802. In 2011, John Richard Abbott divided up part of the genus Polygala into more sharply defined genera. He placed P. paucifolia in Polygaloides as Polygaloides paucifolia. Polygaloides Paucifolia is known most commonly as the "gaywings" or "fringed polygala." == Morphology and Characteristics ==

Plant has underground stems that it emerges from. The plant normally has two sepals emerging from both sides, that appear in the shape and characteristics of petals, that flare out like wings, hence the nickname mentioned previously. The plant also has three smaller sepals, that are less large in their appearance in comparison to the previous. Leaves are whorled nearing the tip of the stem of the plant and they are alternate in arrangement. The edges are without hair, but with small "teeth" on the surface. The fruits of this plant are ¼ to 1/3 inch capsule-like structures that are obovoid. The plant has six stamen. == Habitat and Ecology ==

This plant resides in fields, meadows, forests, woodlands, and field edges. They rely on ants to move their seeds for the most part and the ants gain a nutrient rich attachment to the seed that causes them to pull it into their nests, moving the seed around and underground. Therefore, it is advantageous for the ants to move the seeds as they gain the nutrient rich attachment, which works well for seed dispersal for this plant. However, if the seed is left for too long, the plant itself is heavily concentrated in lipids, proteins, and starches, but their seeds are especially so, and are often victim of ants if left for too long before germinating. == Cultivation and Propogation ==

This plant grows in 60 percent humidity, indirect bright sunlight (about six hours a day), with loamy and wet soil. For agricultural uses, soil content is significant, and a nutrient composition of 5:10:5 is favored for the plants optimum success. The plant grows laterally through very thin rhibozomes, best propogated in wet, and organic farming practices, and it does not respond well to commercial farming practices like the uses of pesticides and other chemicals. In terms of seed storage, some say that they can be stored up to four months in dry and cold conditions, but more precautionary efforts state a maximum viability of three months when properly stored. == Culinary Uses ==

The plant, when consumed orally, is toxic to most mammals, being animals and humans, but does have some uses medically as more of an ointment type of medication. It cannot be consumed. == Medicinal Uses ==

Historically, the plant was used in medicinal practices for skin irritation and respiratory illnesses like coughing and phlegm. Native Americans used the plant for both respiratory illnesses as well as linking the medicinal use of the plant to cardiovascular health. • Dermatological Aid: "Decoction of plant used as a wash for boils and syphilitic sores." With this in mind, this plant should not be used as a terminal solution due to its affects when used in high dosages. Due to the excessive affects on the stomach, this plant historically was viewed as an abortion remedy, back when birth control and abortion medicine were not legal or modernized. This plant was seen as a "home remedy" to prevent conception, however, since this point there have been no scientific studies or support for this theory. Despite this never being proved, the plant is just recommended to avoid being in contact with while pregnant. == Historical and Cultural Implications ==

This plant is known by some Native American tribes as "tcika-tape," meaning "bad sick," in reference to its historical medicinal uses. , Michigan ==References==