26 
1. A. Wrightii Gray. Leaves 5-parted (or the lower lobes incised on the lower 
margin), the segments obovate, cuneate at base: fruit pendulous, oblong-ovoid, about 
5 em. long: seeds obovoid, straight, the external loose arilliform integument smooth, 
—A very remarkable and beautiful plant, on the hills of southern and western Texas. 
POLYGALEZ. (MILKWORT FAMILY.) 
Herbs or shrubs, with simple entire leaves, no stipules, remarkable 
for the papilionaceous-looking flowers (but not papilionaceous in 
structure), monadelphous or diadelphous stamens coherent with the 
petals, and 1-celled anthers opening at top by a pore or chink. 
1. Polygala. Petals 3, united to each other and to the stamen-tube: stamens 6 to 
8: pod flat and 2-celled. 
2. Krameria. Petals 5: stamens 4: pod globose, spinose or muricate, indehiscent, 
\-seeded. 
1. POLYGALA Tourn. (MILKWoRT.) 
Herbaceous or somewhat shrubby plants, with racemose or spicate 
flowers, 5 very unequal sepals (the 2 lateral ones large and_ petal-like, 
called wings), 3 petals united to each other and the stamen-tube (the 
middle one, or keel, hooded above and. often crested or beaked), 6 to 8 
stamens with filaments united below into a split sheath, 1-celled often 
cup-shaped anthers opening at apex, membranaceous 2-celled pods 
flattened contrary to the narrow partition and rounded and often notched 
above, and seeds with an excrescence (caruncle) at the hilum. 
* Leaves all narrowly linear or subulate : flowers white or greenish-white. 
1. P. scoparia HBK., var. MULTICAULIS Gray. Theslender numerous stems fascicled 
from a woody base, much angled: leaves linear-subulate, thickish, rigid, pointed, 
6 to 10 mm. long, and scarcely 1 mm. wide : flowers greenish-white, in lax spikes or 
racemes: wings obovate ; crest of four 2-parted thickish filiform processes which are 
simple or 2-lobed : caruncle narrow, with 2 linear lobes, half the length of the cylin- 
drical hairy seed.—In the mountains near El Paso, and also reported as far east as 
Coryell County. ; 
2, P. hemipterocarpa Gray. Stems erect, sparingly branched above, slender, 
striate-angled: leaves mostly erect, rather rigid, acute, 14 to 20 mm. long, or the 
lower cauline ones much shorter, hardly 1 mm. wide: flowers white, in rather dense 
racemes, with subulate-lanceolate very caducous bracts: wings and crest nearly as 
in the last: pod with one cell larger and appendaged with a crenulate double wing, 
dehiscent between the lamell~ and the valves outspread and forming a broad obcor- 
date wing about the other indehiscent unappendaged cell: caruncle and hirsute sced 
as in the last.—A north Mexican species, but reported from rocky hills in extreme 
western Texas. 
3. P. alba Nutt. Stems several from a hard rootstock: leaves narrowly linear, 
acute, 6 to 24 mm. long: flowers white, in long-pedunculate close racemes: wings 
oblong-obovate ; crest small: lobes of the caruncle half as long as the oblong-obovate 
appressed-silky seed.—Sandy soil, throughout Texas; apparently the most common 
Polygala. 
4. P. verticillata L. Slender and much-branched : leaves linear, acute, those of 
the stem whorled, of the branches scattered: flowers greenish- white (or barely tinged 
with purple), in a peduncled usually short and dense spike or raceme: wings round, 
clawed : lobes of the caruncle half as long as the seed,—A common northern species 
of dry soils, and reported from Tom Green County. 
