684 POLYGALACEAE 



B. Racemes several or many in terminal dichotomous or branched cymes 



or corymbs. 



Corolla white. 33. P. Baldunnii. 



Corolla yellow. 



Basal leaves 2-3 cm. long, blunt : wings acuminate. 34. P. ramosa. 



Basal leaves 5-20 cm. long, attenuate : wings abruptly cuspidate. 35. P. cymosa. 



1. Polygala puberula A. Gray. Shrubby, puberulent. Stems branched at the base, 

 the branches 1-5 dm. tall : leaves various ; blades oval near the base of the stem, or linear, 

 linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate throughout, 1-2.5 cm. long : racemes spike-like, 2-10 

 cm. long : pedicels about 2 mm. long : flowers purplish or bluish, 4-6 mm. long : wings ob- 

 ovate, 4-6 mm. long, obtuse, slightly shorter than the keel : lateral petals somewhat shorter 

 than the keel, nearly spatulate : capsule suborbicular, 8 mm. broad, notched, pubescent on 

 the narrow margin, otherwise glabrous or puberalent : seeds pubescent. 



In dry soil, Texas to Arizona, Mexico and Lower California. 



2. Polygala ovatifolia A. Gray. Perennial, tomentose. Stems branching at the woody 

 base, the branches more or less densely tufted, 0.5-3 dm. long, erect or ascending, usually 

 flexuous : leaves numerous ; blades ovate, oval or elliptic-oval, 0.5-2 cm. long, acute or 

 mucronate, ciliate, short-petioled, those of the upper leaves often narrower than those of 

 the lower : racemes terminal, 1-4 cm. long : pedicels 2-4 mm. long, their bracts deciduous : 

 flowers greenish yellow, more or less pendulous : wings lanceolate, 5 mm. long, pubescent, 

 ciliate : lateral petals commonly as long as the naked unappendaged conspicuous keel : 

 stamens 8 : style slender, curved, neither dilated nor auricled : stigma terminal, 2-lobed : 

 capsule suborbicular, 1 cm. in diameter, notched at the apex, the sides glabrous, the edges 

 ciliate : seeds silky, each with a hood-like caruncle. 



In dry soil, Texas and New Mexico to Mexico. Summer. 



3. Polygala grandiflora Walt. Perennial, pubescent. Stems branched at the base, the 

 branches erect or spreading, 2-5 dm. long, simple or sparingly branched above, the pubes- 

 cence appressed or ascending : leaves alternate ; blades elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate or lan- 

 ceolate, 1-3.5 cm. long, acute or mucronate, often short-petioled : racemes loosely flowered, 

 2-10 cm. long: pedicels 3-4 ram. long : flowers pink or violet-purple, becoming greenish, 

 the lower ones drooping : wings obovate-cuneate or fan-shaped, 6-8 cm. broad, with short 

 claws, glabrous : lateral petals spatulate or dilated above, much shorter than the naked 

 hooded keel : stamens 8 ; filaments united below the middle : style slender, dilated above 

 the middle, abruptly bent above the middle, bearded below the terminal stigma : capsule 

 obovoid or oblong-obovoid, 5-6 mm. long, notched : seeds slightly flattened, densely silky, 

 each with a conspicuous helmet-shaped caruncle. 



In dry sand or pine woods, South Carolina to Florida and Mississippi. Summer and fall. The 

 form with narrowly linear acute leaf-blades, slightly smaller flowers and somewhat narrower wings, is 

 P. grandiflora angustifolia T. & G., it occurs in peninsular Florida. 



4. Polygala Lindheimeii A. Gray. Shrubby, pubescent with spreading hairs. Stems 

 branching, 1-3 dm. tall, erect or ascending : leaves alternate ; blades leathery, obovate, 

 oval, ovate, elliptic or the upper ones lanceolate, varying from 0.5-1.5 cm. long, cuspidate, 

 reticulate, minutely glandular, sessile or short-petioled : racemes few-flowered, terminal 

 or becoming lateral ; rachis becoming zigzag, 4-6-jointed, with unequal bracts at each 

 angle : flowers purple, nearly sessile : outer sepals narrow, pubescent, ciliate : wings oval- 

 obovate, cuneate at the base, 4-5 mm. long.: lateral petals narrow, notched or mitten-shaped, 

 reaching to the beak of the keel : stamens 8 or rarely 7 : filaments dilated above, united 

 to near the anthers : style slender, zigzag, dilated near the apex, the edges toothed : capsule 

 elliptic-oblong, 6-7 mm. long, notched at the apex, with -spreading pubescence: seeds 

 densely pubescent, the 2 lobes of the caruncle more than as long as the seed-body. 



In rocky soil, Texas and New Mexico. Summer. 



5. Polygala 4 Tex6nsis Robinson. Shrubby, pubescent with fine appressed or incurved 

 hairs. Stems branched at the base, the branches erect or ascending, 1-3 dm. long : leaves 

 alternate ; blades various, those of the upper leaves narrowly lanceolate : racemes 5-12 cm. 

 long ; rachis with 12-18 joints : flowers purplish : outer sepals elliptic-oblong, 3 mm. long, 

 pubescent without with incurved hairs : wings narrowly obovate, rounded at the apex, 

 cuneate at the base, 4.5 mm. long : keel with a narrowly oblong appendage : capsule 

 oblong, 4 mm. long, 2.5 mm. broad. 



In rocky soil, Texas. Spring and summer. 



6. Polygala Twefedyi Britton. Perennial, glaucous, pubescent with incurved hairs. 

 Stems branched at the base, the branches erect or ascending, 1-2 dm. tall, usually simple 

 leafy to the top : leaves thick, the lower ones oblong or linear-oblong, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 

 the upper leaves linear, shorter than the lower ones, acute, sessile, erect or ascending : 

 flowers 3-4, in a spike-like raceme about 4 mm. long : wings obovate, about as long as the 



