Puate LXXVIL 
POLYGALA nic#ensis, Risso. 
Natural Order PoLyGALE&. 
Gen. Caar.—Calyx usually persistent (deciduous in P. Chamebucus, 
L.), of five sepals, three of which are similar, small and herbaceous, while 
the two lateral ones are petaloid (the wings), and much larger. Corolla 
gamopetalous, formed by the union of 1 anterior and 2 posterior petals, 
the anterior petal largest, concave, more or less deeply fringed. Stamens 
8, united to the petals and forming two lateral bundles ; anthers basifixed, 
unilocular, the two cells having become confluent, opening by one (or 
two in P. Chamebucxus, L.), short cleft or pore at the apex (Caruel*). 
Capsule borne on a more or less distinct carpophore, two-celled, strongly 
compressed laterally. Seeds bearing a three-lobed aril at the hilum. 
Spec. Cuar.—Flowers in a lax raceme, becoming very long at ma- 
turity of fruit. Intermediate bract often exceeding the young buds, 
making the raceme appear comose, often also shorter than or only equal 
to them; lateral bracts (or bracteoli), symmetrical, subelliptic acuminate, 
or, more rarely, subovate obtuse, as long as the pedicel of the expanding 
bud. Wings (lateral sepals) most frequently large and broadly obovate 
subobtuse, sometimes obovato-elliptic, or even elliptic acute, central and 
2 lateral nerves branched and anastomosing. Capsule oblong-obovate, or 
obcordate, notched or subentire at apex, narrower than or as broad as 
the wings, narrowed below into a very short carpophore about one-sixth 
its length or less. Leaves broadly lanceolate, the lower ones obovate, 
usually pubescent, edges slightly recurved. Stems flexuose, much 
branched, decumbent below, springing from a woody perennial stock. 
Polygala niceensis, Risso, Fl. de Nice, p. 54; Woods, Tour. Fl. p. 43; 
Ardoino, Fl. Alp. Mar. p. 54; Polygala rosea, Gren. et Godr. (non Dsf.), 
Fl. de Fr. i. 194. 
Hasirat.—Garavan Valley, Mentone, where I gathered these speci- 
mens on April 7th, 1871. 
Remarks.—The common European species of Polygala are with few 
exceptions variable in their characters, and more or less doubtfully dis- 
tinct. Thus, I believe that if a really large series of specimens of Poly- 
gala niceensis, Risso, P. vulgaris, L., and P. comosa, Schk., were minutely 
examined in a fresh state, it would become quite impossible to assign to 
any one of these forms characters absolutely distinctive; for in a quite 
limited investigation which I made myself, I found that the actual length, 
* T. Caruel. Polygalacearum italicarum conspectus in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. i, 
19 (March, 1869). 
