Description

• Hebecarpa obscura, commonly known as velvet-seed milkwort, is a small herbaceous plant in the milkwort family (Polygalaceae). It has upright or somewhat lax, hairy stems and narrow to elliptic leaves arranged alternately along the stems. Its small purplish flowers grow in loose clusters near the stem tips or in the leaf axils. The fruit is a rounded to broadly oval capsule covered in fine hairs, and the seeds have a distinctive hairy or veil-like appendage.

Range

• Hebecarpa obscura is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, with documented Mexican records from Chihuahua, Sonora, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, and Puebla. Its established range is associated primarily with drier inland regions. Its presence in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, is not confirmed by the regional botanical sources consulted.

Habitat

• It typically grows in grasslands and open woodlands, especially in sandy or rocky soils, and is recorded at elevations of approximately 1,200–2,400 metres. It favours open sites with good sunlight and well-drained ground.