PoJi/fifili] POT, YGALACE. I E. 57 



2. Polygala, Linn. 



Herbs or rarely shrubs. Leaves alternate. Sepals usually 

 persistent, the 2 inner larger, sometimes petaloid. Petals 3, united 

 below with the staminal sheath, the lower boat- shaped and usually 

 crested at the tip. Stamens 8 ; filaments united below into a split 

 sheath ; anthers opening by pores. Ovary 2-celled ; ovules 1 in 

 each cell, pendulous. Capsule 2-celled and -seeded, loculicidal. 

 Seeds with a waxy 3-fid or cup-shaped and 3-toothed caruncle, 

 often expanded above into 1-3 short or long narrow membranous 

 wings or into broad appendages covering the seed ; albumen rarely 

 absent. 



Caruncle appendages nearly or quite covering the seed ; large or small 

 shrubs : 

 Flowers yellow, in drooping terminal racemes ; capsule fleshy, 



glabrous; leaves lanceolate, 4-6 in. long 1. arillatu. 



Flowers pink, in erect axillary racemes ; capsule pubescent ; leaves 



obovate, under 1/5 in. long 2. jacana. 



Caruncle appendages narrow or absent ; herbs, sometimes a little 

 woody at the base : 

 Caruncle cup-shaped, truncate or with 3 distant teeth : 



Bracts caducous ; caruncle with 3 long linear appendages ; capsule 



broadly winged ; flowers blue 3. sibirica. 



Bracts persistent ; appendages of caruncle short or : 



Linear leaves, short few-flowered racemes and small green flowers, 



erect; often annual 4. rosmarinifolia. 



Leaves and flowers spreading or drooping : 



Stems, racemes, and capsules with stiff white spreading 

 bulbous-based hairs ; flowers greenish or pinkish ; outer sepals 



narrow, caudate-acuminate 5. bolbothrix. 



White bulbous-based hairs absent: 



Racemes under 1 in. long, dense; flowers yellow 



6. chinensis. 

 Racemes 2 or more in. long, peduncled ; flowers yellow ; 



outer sepals ovate, rounded at the top 1. elonyata. 



Caruncle 3-fid to the base, sinuses very narrow, curved : 

 Capsule winged ; wing-petals obovate, membranous : 



Racemes long, tail-like, terminal ; bracts caducous ; wings 



narrow, few-veined 8. leptalea. 



Racemes mostly lateral; bracts persistent; flower rose-coloured; 

 wings large, broad, petaloid 9. persicariaefolia. 



