A As you were describing it to me, I became very interested as orange colored wildflowers are not as common as yellow or pink. It helped tremendously when you brought a sample into the office. I truly, had not seen the plant before but one of the sharp eyed Master Gardener volunteers was able to do some research and identified it for us as Orange Milkwort. It is most likely, Polygala lutea. It has also been commonly called bog “Cheeto”. Milkworts are a group of plants which produce small, clover-like flowers. These plants were at one time believed to increase the milk yield of cows and nursing mothers. Orange Milkwort is found throughout most of Florida except the most southern tip. It is a common wildflower in many of the states east of the Mississippi River, from Louisiana northward to New York. In New York, the wildflower is classified as endangered. Orange Milkwort is a biennial which means it produces the leaves in one growing season then flowers during the second growing season. Here, in Florida, it typically flowers from June through October. Orange Milkwort is generally found in sandy, acid soil and/or bogs of wooded areas where pine trees are grown. It can take full sun or partial shade. The basal leaves feel almost-succulent and it reaches heights of generally no more than 1.5 feet. The flowers produce a cylinder-like flower head which starts out yellow in color but changes to a bright orange. While blooms often occur early in the summer it is not uncommon to see it continue to bloom into the early fall. It would make a perfect ground cover since it blooms for such a long period of time but it does need sufficient moisture to keep it happy.

0