DIADELPHIA— OCTANDRIA. Polygala. 257 



Nat. Ord. Lomentacece. Linn. 33. Pediculares. Juss. 35. 

 Polygalece. Juss. Ann. du Mus. v. 14. 386. DeCand. 

 Prodr. 18. 



Col. inferior, of 5 leaves, imbricated in the bud; 3 outer 

 ones smallest, nearly equal, ovate, acute, 1 of them up- 

 permost ; 2 inner ones much larger, like a pair of wings, 

 coloured, veiny, ovate, finally converging and fading; all 

 permanent. Pet. various in number, combined with the 

 filaments by their claws ; limb of the uppermost deeply 

 divided; lowermost 1 or 2, keel-shaped, generally crowned 

 with more or less of a many-cleft, crested appendage. 

 Pilam. all united at the bottom and attached to the co- 

 rolla ; divided above into 2 sets, of 4 each. Anth. 8, as- 

 cending, tubular, each of 1 cell, opening at the summit. 

 Germ, superior, roundish. %/^ club-shaped, straight. 

 Stigma of 2 unequal lips, concave. Caps, orbicular, or 

 inversely heart-shaped, compressed, of 2 valves and 2 

 cells, the partition from the centre of each valve. Seeds 

 solitary, pendulous, oval, downy, crested at the scar. 



A very large genus, herbaceous or shrubby, with simple, 

 entire, alternate, or opposite, or whorled, generally 

 smooth leaves. Fl. racemose, sometimes very beautiful, 

 blue, crimson or yellowish. DeCandolle enumerates 

 above 160 species, from all parts of the world. One only 

 is British. 



1. P. vulgaris. Common Milkwort. 



Flowers crested. Bracteas three, at the base of each flower- 

 stalk, deciduous. Wings about equal to the corolla. 

 Stems ascending, simple, herbaceous. Leaves linear- 

 lanceolate. 



P. vulgaris. Linn. Sp. PL 986. fVilld. v. 3. 873. Fl. Br. 752. 

 Engl. Bot.v.2. t. 76. Hook. Scot. 21 1. DeCand. Prodr.v.]. 324. 

 Fl. Dan. i. 5 1 6. Bull. Fr. \77. Bauh. Pin. 215. Vaill. Par. 1 60, 

 161.^32./.!. Ehrh.Pl.Off.358. 



P. n. 344. Hall. Hist. v. 1. 148. 



Polygala. Raii Syti. *287. Ger. Em. 563./. 3, 4 ; and 564./. 5. 



Polygalon. Trag. Hist. 57 1 ./ 



Onobrychis secunda. Dalech. Hist. 491./ 



In gravelly and heathy pastures, very common. 



Perennial. June, July. 



Root tough and woody. Herb smooth, of a dark shining green, 

 with several procumbent, or partly ascending, simple, angular, 

 leafy stems, from 3 to 6 inches high. Leaves scattered, nearly 

 sessile ; the lower ones shortest, broadest, and most crowded. 



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