Blake Revision of Polygala 99 



(Syn. Fl. 1. c.) has already pointed out that Chodat's var. exap- 

 pendiculata was based on a misapprehension of the characters of 

 the northern form of the species. 



122. P. gracilis HBK. Erect slender annual, sparsely branched 

 above, 4 dm. high, the stem angled, glabrous. Leaves alternate, 

 linear, acuminate to the cuspidate apex, scarcely narrowed at base, 

 glabrous, thickish, 3-9 mm. long, 0.2-0.5 wide, subsessile. Racemes 

 slightly loose, cylindric, 1-1.7 cm. long (axis becoming 3-9 cm. 

 long) ; pedicels 0.7 mm. long. Flowers rosy, 2.6 mm. long. Upper 

 sepal broadly ovate, obtuse, 1.4 mm. long; lower sepals narrowly 

 oblong-lanceolate, acutish, 1.4 mm. long. Wings narrowly spatu- 

 late-obovate, truncate-rounded at apex, long-cuneate at base, 3- 

 nerved, 2.6 mm. long, 1 mm. wide. Keel 2.4 mm. long; crest of 

 about 3 pairs of lobes, the posterior lanceolate, obtuse, adnate to 

 keel, the 2 anterior linear. Upper petals oblong-ovate, obtuse or 

 slightly emarginate at the apex, equalling keel. Capsule oblong- 

 oval, emarginate, 1.6 mm. long, 1 mm. wide. Seed 1.5 mm. long, 

 subsparsely appressed-pubescent. Aril 0.6 mm. long, its lobes 

 linear-oblong, appressed. HBK. Nov. Gen. v. 401 (1821); Chod. 

 Monog. ii. 228. t. 24. f. 8-9 (1893). Chiapas: plains, temperate 

 region, June (1864-70), Ghiesbreght 861 (G). Also in S. A., and 

 reported by Chodat from the Antilles. T. 2. Fig. 76. 



123. P. paniculata L. Slender annual, sparsely or densely 

 branched, erect, 0.6-4 dm. high, the stem and leaves densely pedi- 

 cellate-glandular. Leaves alternate (except for a few whorls of 2-4 

 below), linear or linear-spatulate, rarely linear-obovate, mucronate 

 at the acute apex, cuneate at the distinctly petioled base, 1-nerved, 

 slightly revolute, more or less pedicellate-glandular, 8-18 mm. long, 

 1-2.5(4) mm. wide, on petioles 0.5 mm. long. Racemes loosely 

 flowered, cylindric, 6 cm. long or less (the axis becoming 9.5 cm. 

 long), 5-6 mm. thick; bracts early deciduous; pedicels 0.7-1 mm. 

 long. Flowers rosy or purplish, rarely white, 2-2.5 mm. long. 

 Upper sepal broadly ovate, obtuse, bearing 2 glands at base, 1.3 

 mm. long; the lower oblong-ovate, obtuse, bearing 2 glands at base, 

 1.2 mm. long. Wings obovate or spatulate-obovate, rounded at 

 apex, long-cuneate at base, 3-nerved, 2-2.5 mm. long, 0.7-1 mm. 

 wide. Keel 2-2.5 mm. long; crest of 3-4 pairs of lobes, the posterior 

 broadly lanceolate, acutish, adnate to keel, the 2-3 anterior linear 

 to linear-lanceolate, entire. Upper petals lanceolate-oblong, acut- 



