• This is an easy woodland wildflower to overlook but it is a delight whenever you stumble across it because of its brightly-colored flowers and diminutive size. It is often mistaken for an orchid but in reality it is a member of the milkwort family which, when eaten by mammals supposedly stimulates milk production.
• Hence the name polygala is derived from the Latin "poly" meaning many and "gala" meaning milk. The species normally occurs throughout the eastern United States in coniferous forests, typically on moist acidic sites.

This is an easy woodland wildflower to overlook but it is a delight whenever you stumble across it because of its brightly-colored flowers and diminutive size. It is often mistaken for an orchid but in reality it is a member of the milkwort family which, when eaten by mammals supposedly stimulates milk production.