130 POLYGALACEiE. Polygala. 



11. P. verticillata (Linn.): spikes pedunculate, acute, dense; wings 

 roundish-obovate ; crest conspicuous; stem erect, branched; leaves verticil- 

 late, linear and lanceolate-linear, glandularly punctate. — Michx. ! fl. 2. p. 

 54; Niitt.! gen. 2. p. 89; Ell. s'k. 2. p. 182; DC. prodr. l.p.329; Hook. 

 Jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 85. 



Sandy fields and dry hill-sides, Canada! to Florida! and west to Akan- 

 sas ! June-Aug. — Stem 6-10 inches high. Leaves mostly in whorls of 4 

 or 5, but sometimes scattered. Spike 15-20-flowered, an inch or more in 

 length, 2 lines in diameter at the base, and tapering to a pretty acute summit. 

 Flowers very minute, greenish-Avhite. Bracts very deciduous. Exterior 

 sepals unequal ; the posterior ones ovate, twice as large as the other two. 

 Wings a little longer than the corolla. Lateral petals nearly as large as the 

 wings, and somewhat spreading. Style dilated and saccate almost imme- 

 diately above the ovary: gland inconspicuous; the terminal appendage 

 subulate, with a hairy tuft at the extremity. Seed oblong, hairy. Caruncle 

 with 2 distant oblong lobes nearly half the length of the seed. — In this and 

 the following species, the exterior sepals, the ovary, and the keel of the co- 

 rolla are furnished with oblong or linear vesicles, which are filled with a yel- 

 lowish farinaceous matter. 



12. P. amhigua (Nutt.) : spikes pedunculate, acute, dense ; rachis squar- 

 rose with the persistent bracts ; Avings roundish ; stem erect, with virgate 

 branches ; leaves linear, not glandular, the lower ones sometimes verticillate, 

 the others scattered.— A'm^. .' gen. 2. p. 89; DC. prodr. I. p. 329; Darlingt. 

 f. Cest. p. 402. 



Woods and sandy fields, often in wet places, New Jersey ! to Virginia, 

 Nuttall. Ang.-Sept.— @ Plant 8-12 inches high. Flowers greenish- white, 

 more or less tinged with purple. — Nearly related to the preceding species in 

 the structure of the flowers and seeds, as well as in general appearance. 



13. P. bicolor (Kunth): spikes cylindrical, densely flowered ; exterior se- 

 pals with 2 thick parallel nerves ; leaves pellucid-punctate ; the lower ones 

 ternately or quinately verticillate ; upper ones linear-lanceolate. H. B. ^ K. 

 nov. gen. 5. p. 394. t. 509. e.v. DC. prodr. l.p. 327 ; Hook. jour. bat. 1. p. 194. 



Near New-Orleans, Drummond. If ((T) DC.) Stem U foot or more in 

 height. The verticillate leaves obovate-lanceolate ; the upper and ahernate 

 ones linear. Spike very long: flowers much larger than in P. verticillata. 

 Hook. — We have not seen this plant. May it not be a variety of of P. ver- 

 ticillata or P. amhigua ? The " thick parallel nerves" of the sepals are pro- 

 bably the vesicles noticed in the preceding species. 



14. P. leptocmdis : spike racemose, much elongated, very slender, loose ; 

 wings elliptical-obovate, about as long as the corolla; exterior sepals some- 

 what equal, acute ; crest conspicuous ; capsule oblong ; seed oblong ; lobes 

 of the caruncle very minute ; stem fiiliform, nearly simple, or with a few 

 long erect branches ; leaves linear, very narrow. 



Texas, Dnnnmond ! — (T) Stem 1-2 feet high, glabrous. Leaves about 

 half an inch long, almost subulate, not dotted. Spike 1-2^ inches long. The 

 flowers about a line long, rather remote, pale purple, longer than the slender 

 pedicels. Exterior sepals somewhat equal. Wings narrowed into a short 

 claw at the base. Crest consisting of several filiform processes, equalling the 

 lateral petals. Style saccate, without the terminal appendage : gland obtuse, 

 sessile. Seed very hairy : the lobes of the caruncle collateral. 



15. P. Beyrichii: spike dense, acute; flowers on very short pedicels; 

 wings orbicular-obovate, concave, rather longer than the broadly obovate lateral 

 petals ; capsule oblong ; seed very villous with appressed hairs ; lobes of the 

 caruncle distant, about half as long as the seed ; stems numerous, somewhat 

 branched ; leaves linear or linear-spatulate, somewhat glandular. 



