6(5). Leaves whorled at least to middle of stem 4. P. verticillata. 



6. Leaves alternate throughout or whorled only at base of stem. .5. P. leptocaulis. 



7(4). Wings broadly elliptic or oval, (2.8-) 4.5-6.3 mm. long, about twice as 

 long as keel; aril more than half as long as seed 6. P. sanguinea. 



7. Wings equal to or but little longer than keel; aril usually less than half as long 



as seed (8) 



8(7). Leaves all alternate 7. P. mariana. 



8. Leaves whorled at least below (9) 



9(8). Wings ovate to ovate-oblong, merely acute and short-mucronate; racemes 

 6-12 mm. thick 3. P. Hookeri. 



9. Wings acuminate and strongly cuspidate from a deltoid base; racemes 10-17 



mm. thick 8. P. cruciata. 



10(1). Racemes solitary at tips of stems and branches, capitate or thick-cylindric, 

 9-20 mm. thick; bracts mostly deciduous 9. P. nana. 



10. Racemes several or many, cymosely arranged at apex of stem and branches, 



6-13 mm. thick; bracts persistent 10. P. ramosa. 



1. Polygala polygama L. 



Stems solitary to many from a biennial rootstock, erect or ascending, simple 

 or sparsely branched, 1.5-3 dm. tall, glabrous, bearing loose racemes of cleisto- 

 gamous flowers from the base or (in late season) from the axils of the leaves; 

 leaves all alternate or the very lowest sometimes opposite, the lower or sometimes 

 all spatulate to obovate and obtuse to rounded and mucronulate, slightly fleshy, 

 the longer upper leaves usually linear to spatulate-linear and acutish, 12-31 mm. 

 long, 2-8 mm. wide; peduncles 1-2 cm. long; racemes cylindric, obtuse, loose, 

 9-14 mm. thick, the axis 13.5 cm. long or less; bracts ovate to oblong-ovate, 

 glabrous, deciduous, 1-1.3 mm. long; pedicels 1-4 mm. long; flowers pink to 

 pink-purple, rarely pale-lilac or nearly white; sepals oval to oval-ovate, rounded 

 to acutish, glabrous, 1.3-2.2 mm. long; wings oval to oval-obovate, 3.2-6 mm. 

 long, 2-3.8 mm. wide, obtuse or rounded at apex, cuneate or clawed at base, 

 about 3-nerved, glabrous; keel 3-5 mm. long, the crest on each side of a lamella 

 and 2 or 3 divided lobes; capsule oval, margined, sometimes erose, plump, 2.5-4 

 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide; seed ellipsoid, short-pointed at base, plump, pilose, 

 1.8-2.8 mm. long; aril 0.8-2 mm. long, the pilose corneous umbo terminating 

 the beak of the seed, the 2 linear-elliptic to oval cellular-scarious lobes appressed. 

 Incl. var. obtusata Chod. 



In bogs, low sandy soil in open woodlands and along streams in open woods in 

 Okla. (LeFlore Co.) and e. Tex., Apr.-June; from Fla. to e. Tex., n. to N.S., 

 s.w. Que., s. Ont., Mich., Wise, and Minn. 



2. Polygala incamata L. Fig. 506. 



Simple or sparsely branched annual, about 35 cm. tall, the glaucous stem sul- 

 cate and sparsely leaved; leaves scattered (the very lowest often opposite or even 

 whorled), linear, 4-6 mm. long, 0.3-0.6 mm. wide, acuminate, cuspidate, glaucous; 

 peduncles 2-3.5 cm. long; racemes dense, 6-38 mm. long, 1-1.3 cm. thick in 

 flower, 5.6-6 mm. thick in fruit; pedicels 0.5 mm. long; flowers rose-purplish; 

 sepals oblong-ovate to lanceolate, rounded to subacuminate, serrulate, 2-2.5 mm. 

 long; wings linear-oblong, about 3 mm. long and 0.6 mm. wide, somewhat 

 undulate-convolute, obtuse to submucronulate, not clawed; upper petals 6.7 mm. 

 long; keel 7 mm. long, united with the staminal tube and upper petals into a 

 trough 5 mm. long; crest on each side of about 3 lobes, these variously lobed or 

 cleft; capsule suborbicular-ovate, cordate at base, 2.4 mm. long, 2 mm. wide; seed 



1075 



