684 POLYGALACEAE 



B. Racemes several or many in terminal dichotomous or branched cymes 

 or corymbs. 

 Corolla white. 33. P. Baldvrinii. 



Corolla yellow. 



Basal leaves 2-3 cm. long, blunt : wings acuminate. 31. P. ramom. 



Basal leaves 5-20 cm. long, attenuate : wings abruptly cuspidate. 35. P. cymosa. 



1. Polygala pub6rula A. Gray. Shrubby, puberulent. Stems branched at the base, 

 the branches 1-5 dm. tall : leaves various ; blades oval near the base of the stem, or linear, 

 linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate throughout, 1-2.5 cm. long : racemes spike-like, 2-10 

 cm. long : pedicels about 2 mm. long : flowers purplish or bluish, 4-6 mm. long : "wings ob- 

 ovate, 4-6 mm, long, obtuse, slightly shorter than the keel : lateral petals somewhat shorter 

 than the keel, nearly spatulate : capsule suborbicular, 8 mm. broad, notched, pubescent on 

 the narrow margin, otherwise glabrous or puberulent : seeds pubescent. 



In dry soil, Texas to Arizona, Mexico and Lower California. 



2.] Polygala ovatifolia A. Gray. Perennial, tomentose. Stems branching at the woody 

 base, the branches more or less densely tufted, 0.5-3 dm. long, erect or ascending, usually 

 flexuous : leaves numerous ; blades ovate, oval or ellii^tic-oval, 0.5-2 cm. long, acute or 

 mucronate, ciliate, short-petioled, those of the upper leaves often narrower than those of 

 the lower : racemes terminal, 1-4 cm. long : pedicels 2-4 mm. long, their bracts deciduous : 

 flowers greenish yellow, more or less pendulous : wings lanceolate, 5 mm. long, pubescent, 

 ciliate : lateral petals commonly h as long as the naked unappendaged conspicuous keel : 

 stamens 8 : style slender, curved, neither dilated nor auricled : stigma terminal, 2-lobed : 

 capsule suborbicular, 1 cm. in diameter, notched at the apex, the sides glabrous, the edges 

 ciliate : seeds silky, each with a hood-like caruncle. 



In dry soil, Texas and New Mexico to Mexico. Summer. 



3. Polygala grandiflora Walt. Perennial, pubescent. Stems branched at the base, the 

 branches erect or spreading, 2-5 dm. long, simple or sparingly branched above, the pubes- 

 cence appressed or ascending : leaves alternate ; blades elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate or lan- 

 ceolate, 1-3.5 cm. long, acute or mucronate, often short-petioled : racemes loosely flowered, 

 2-10 cm. long: pedicels 3-4 ram. long : flowers pink or violet-purple, becoming greenish, 

 the lower ones drooping : wings obovate-cuneate or fan-shaped, 6-8 cm. broad, with short 

 claws, glabrous : lateral petals spatulate or dilated above, much shorter than the naked 

 hooded keel : stamens 8 ; filaments united below the middle : style slender, dilated above 

 the middle, abruptly bent above the middle, bearded below the terminal stigma : capsule 

 obovoid or oblong-obovoid, 5-6 mm. long, notched : seeds slightly flattened, densely silky, 

 each with a conspicuous helmet-shaped caruncle. 



In dry sand or pine woods, South Carolina to Florida and Mississippi. Summer and fall.— The 

 form with "narrowly linear acute leaf-blades, slightly smaller flowers and somewhat narrower wings, is 

 P. grandiflora angu'stifi'tlia T. & G., it occurs in peninsular Florida. 



4. Polygala Lindheimeri A. Gray. Shrubby, pubescent with spreading hairs. Stems 

 branching, 1-3 dm. tall, erect or ascending : leaves alternate ; blades leathery, obovate, 

 oval, ovate, elliptic or the upper ones lanceolate, varying from 0.5-1.5 cm. long, cuspidate, 

 reticulate, minutely glandular, sessile or short-petioled : racemes few-flowered, terminal 

 or becoming lateral ; rachis becoming zigzag, 4-6-jointed, with unequal bracts at each 

 angle : flowers purple, nearly sessile : outer sepals narrow, pubescent, ciliate : wings oval- 

 obovate, cuneate at the base, ^^5 mm. long : lateral petals narrow, notched or mitten-shaped, 

 reaching to the beak of the keel : stamens 8 or rarely 7 : filaments dilated above, united 

 to near the anthers : style slender, zigzag, dilated near the apex, the edges toothed : capsule 

 elliptic-oblong, 6-7 mm. long, notched at the apex, with spreading pubescente : seeds 

 densely pubescent, the 2 lobes of the caruncle more than ^ as long as the seed-body. 



In rocky soil, Texas and New Mexico. Summer. 



5. Polygala',Tex6nsis Eobinson. Shrubby, pubescent with fine appressed or incurved 

 hairs. Stems branched at the base, the branches erect or ascending, 1-3 dm. long : leaves 

 alternate ; blades various, those of the upper leaves narrowly lanceolate : racemes 5-12 cm. 

 long ; rachis with 12-18 joints : flowers purplish : outer sepals elliptic-oblong, 3 mm. long, 

 pubescent without with incurved hairs : wings narrowly obovate, rounded at the apex, 

 cuneate at the base, 4.5 mm. long : keel with a narrowly oblong appendage : capsule 

 oblong, 4 mm. long, 2.5 mm. broad. 



In rocky soil, Texas. Spring and summer. 



6. Polygala Twe^dyi Britton. Perennial, glaucous, pubescent with incurved hairs. 

 Stems branched at the l)ase, the branches erect or ascending, 1-2 dm. tall, usually simple 

 leafy to the top : leaves thick, the lower ones oblong or linear-oblong, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 

 the upper leaves linear, shorter than the lower ones, acute, sessile, erect or ascending : 

 flowers 3-4, in a spike-like raceme about 4 mm. long : wings obovate, about as long as the 



