Indian Hemp

Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District

Indian Hemp (Common Dogbane)
Apocynum cannabinum [C-value 4]
Dogbane family (Apocynaceae)
Blooms June - mid July

The native Indian Hemp is common in our area. It prefers full sun and wet to slightly wet conditions. This perennial is 2½–5' tall at maturity. At intervals along the light green to red stems, there are pairs of opposite leaves 1½–3½" long and about one-third as much across, broadly elliptic and untoothed. The upper stems and some lateral stems terminate in panicles of flowers spanning 1–3" across. The small 5-petal white flowers are about 3/16" across and sweetly fragrant. Afterwards, cross-pollinated flowers develop pairs of narrowly cylindrical "beans" up to 8" long.

Indian Hemp at Rose Hill Subdivision June 11, 2013

Indian Hemp at Harris Forest Preserve June 13, 2015

Indian Hemp Harris Forest Preserve July 12, 2015 (with immature "beans")

Indian Hemp, a type of marijuana, was used by Native Americans for its fiber for making clothes, twine, bags, linen, and paper. Although it is a poisonous plant that can cause cardiac arrest if ingested, it was also common in Native American herbal remedies to treat syphilis, rheumatism, intestinal worms, fever, asthma, and dysentery. Reminder: see our Do Not Disturb Notice.

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