Gaywings (Polygaloides paucifolia)

 

Gaywings (Polygaloides paucifolia)

Photo by Judith Kozminski

Gaywings, also known as fringed polygala, is a small, spring‑blooming wildflower native to Wisconsin and much of the northeastern United States. This perennial grows in acidic, humus‑rich conifer or mixed forests, often beneath pines or hemlocks, where it thrives in part shade to full shade. Plants typically reach three to seven inches tall, forming low patches on the forest floor.

Each plant produces one to four blossoms, deep pink to nearly white, each less than an inch wide. The flowers are unmistakable: two large, wing‑like sepals flare outward like tiny propellers, while the lower petal forms a fringed keel that gives the species its common name. The leaves cluster toward the tip of the stem, elliptic, smooth‑edged, and sometimes fringed with minute hairs.

Blooming in spring to early summer, gaywings add a vivid splash of color to shaded woodlands. Their ecological role extends beyond pollination by small bees. Like many spring wildflowers, they rely on ants for seed dispersal, a strategy known as myrmecochory. The seeds bear elaiosomes, nutrient‑rich attachments that attract ants. Ants carry the seeds back to their nests, consume the elaiosomes, and leave the seeds to germinate underground. This process helps spread the plant across the forest floor and supports genetic diversity within populations.

Sources:

UW–Madison Herbarium — Polygaloides paucifolia species account

USDA NRCS Plants Database — Polygaloides paucifolia species information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Polygala paucifolia plant profile

Flora of North America — Polygala paucifolia treatment

Minnesota Wildflowers — Gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)

(LS)