APOCYNACEAE 



DOGBANE FAMILY 



INDIAN HEMP. RHEUMATISM ROOT 



Apocynum cannabinum L. 



The Indian Hemp is common in fields and thickets from 

 Alabama to Kansas and north into Canada. It is quite similar to 

 the Spreading Dogbane, page 240, but its flowers are much 

 smaller and greenish 

 white, and it grows 

 from a deep-branch- 

 ing, vertical root, 

 whereas the Spreading 

 Dogbane has a hori- 

 zontal underground 

 stem. The root is 

 used to some extent 

 in medicine and con- 

 sequently accounts 

 for the name Rheu- 

 matism Root. 



The plant as a 

 whole varies greatly 

 under different en- 

 vironmental condi- 

 tions. The stem is 

 usually 1-4 feet high 

 and extensively 

 branched, but when 

 growing on exposed 



gravelly beaches is often dwarfed and wide spreading. The stems 

 contain very tough fibers comparable to those of Hemp and are 

 said to have been used by Indians for making twine, fish nets, 

 baskets and other articles. The leaves are usually pale green and 

 either entirely smooth or with short whitish hairs beneath. 

 They may be sessile, especially on lateral branches, or they may 

 have short petioles. 



The flowers are produced from June to August. The 5 calyx 

 segments are about as long as the tube of the greenish white 

 corolla. The 5 corolla lobes are not turned back as are those of 

 the Spreading Dogbane, but are nearly erect. Stamens, pistil, 

 fruits and seeds are, however, similar. 



241 



