362 



POLYGALEJE. I. POLYGALA. II. SALOMONIA. III. COMESPERMA. 



peclvmcles generally 3-flowered, shorter than the leaves ; stem 

 herbaceous, erect; leaves linear, alternate. S. Native of 

 Ceylon. Flowers white. 



Three-flowered Milkwort. PI. \ foot. 



208 P. PROSTRA'TA (Willd. spec. 3. p. 896.) flowers beardless ; 

 peduncles many-flowered ; stems diffuse, herbaceous ; leaves 

 lanceolate, obtuse. O- S. Native of the East Indies. Like 

 P. glaucoides. Flowers white. 



Prostrate Milkwort. PI. prostrate. 



209 P. MULTIFLORA (Poir. diet. 5. p. 497.) flowers beardless ; 

 racemes long, terminal ? stems herbaceous, branched, twiggy ; 

 leaves linear, few. ^ .? S. Native of Sierra Leone. Flowers blue ? 



Many-flowered Milkwort. PI. foot. 



210 P. THUNBE'RGII (D. C. prod. 1. p. 333.) flowers beardless, 

 racemose ; leaves ovate, unarmed. Tj . G. Native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. P. microphy'Ila, Thunb. prod. 121. but not 

 of Lin. Flowers purple. 



Thunberg's Milkwort. Shrub 1 foot. 



211 P. MUCRONA'TA (Willd. spec. 3. p. 888.) flowers beard- 

 less ; racemes terminal ? stem shrubby with hairy branches ; 

 leaves lanceolate, mucronated, downy on the under surface. 

 Tj . S. Native of South America. Flowers purple. 



Mucronate-lenveA Milkwort. Shrub -| foot. 



212 P. MYRTILLOIDES (Willd. spec. 3. p. 889.) flowers beard- 

 less ; racemes opposite the leaves ; stem shrubby with procum- 

 bent branches ; leaves roundish-ovate, reticulately veined. J? . S. 

 Native of South America. Flowers white. 



Myrtle-like Milkwort. Shrub 1 foot. 



213 P. MEXICA'NA (Moc. et Sesse. fl. mex. icon. ined. and 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 333.) flowers beardless, at length drooping ; 

 racemes terminal ? somewhat spiked ; stems simple, erectish ; 

 leaves linear, acute. ^ . G. Native in Mexico. Flowers 

 purple ? 



Mexican Milkwort. Shrub 1 foot. 



214 P. LINARISFOLIA (Poir. diet. 5. p. 495.) flowers almost 

 beardless ? racemes terminal ? dense, ovate ; stem herbaceous, 

 round ; leaves linear, upper ones disposed in whorls. 



Flax-weed-leaved Milkwort. 



215 P. UNGUICULA'TA (Poir. diet. 5. p. 494.) flowers beardless, 

 crowded, axillary ; petals 2, unguiculate ; calyx 4-sepalled ; 

 stem shrubby ; leaves ovate, mucronate. Jj . S. Native of? 

 Perhaps a proper genus. 



Unguiculate-petalled Milkwort. Shrub. 



216 P. RAMOSI'SSIMA (Cav. annal. cienc. nat. 1801. 4. p. 53.) 

 stem herbaceous, much branched ; leaves linear ; spikes ter- 

 minal ; flowers minute. Ij .? G. Native in the island of Teneriffe. 



Much-branched Milkwort. PI. -| foot. 



217 P.? THE'ZANS (Lin. mant. "60. exclusive Burm. syn. 2.) 

 flowers beardless, solitary; peduncles 1 -flowered, axillary; 

 leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate. Tj . S. Native of Java and 

 Japan. Icon. Burm. fl. zeyl. p. 195. t. 85. is truly a species 

 of lonidium. P. thea, Burm. fl. ind. p. 154. is a species of Lep- 

 tospermum, as is seen by the specimens collected by Burman, now 

 in the herbarium of M. Benj. Delessert. P. triphylla and P. 

 pinnata of Burm. prod. f. cap. p. 20. are leguminous plants. 



Tea-like Milkwort. Shrub. 



Cult, All the species of Polygala are very shewy, therefore 

 they deserve to be cultivated in every garden. Those belonging 

 to the section Psychdnthus are all natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, these will thrive well in two thirds peat and one-third 

 turfy loam, with a good quantity of sand mixed with it ; and to 

 have the cuttings proper for putting in, the shoots should be 

 topped, they will then push out numerous young ones, which 

 should be taken off close to the old branch, when about three 

 inches long, and in a growing state, these plant in pots of sand, 

 and place bell-glasses over them ; the pots must then be 



1 



put into a close frame or the propagation-house, and the 

 glasses must be taken off and wiped occasionally. The pe- 

 rennial species belonging to other sections thrive best in a sandy 

 peat soil ; they should be always kept in small pots, and may be 

 either increased by seed or dividing the plants. The shrubby 

 kinds in the same way as recommended for those belonging to 

 Psychdnlhus. The annual species should be sown about the 

 end of March in pots ; they also prefer a sandy peat soil and 

 heat. Most of them would grow in the open border in warm 

 situations. P. chamcebuxus will grow in the open border. 



II. SALOMO'NIA (in honour of Solomon, King of the He- 

 brews, son of David, one of the first botanists, died 975). Lour, 

 coch. ed. Willd. p. 18. D. C. prod. 1. p. 333. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Tetrandria. Calyx quinquefid ; seg- 

 ments equal. Keel cucullate. Petal 3-lobed, with the lateral 

 lobes falcate, intermediate one cucullately saccate, inclosing the 

 genitals, not crested. Filaments connate into a membranous sheath 

 including the style. Anthers 4, 1-celled, conglutinate around 

 the stigma. Style tapering to the base, dilated and compressed 

 at the apex ; stigma small, obtuse, pruinose. Capsules 2-lobed, 

 2 -celled, compressed, usually ciliary-serrated; cells 1 -seeded. 

 Small Asiatic herbs with alternate broadish leaves and slender 

 spike of minute rose-coloured flowers, each flower furnished 

 with a cuspidate bractea. 



1 S. CANTONE'NSIS (Lour. 1. c.) herb glabrous, erect, branched ; 

 leaves cordate, acute, on very short footstalks ; wings equal in 

 length to the keel ; capsules truncate, with crestedly-toothed 

 margins. 0. H. Native of China about Canton. S. petiolata, 

 D. Don. fl. nep. p. 200. Salmonea Cantonensis, Vahl. enum. 

 1. p. 8. 



Canton Salomonia. Fl. July. PI. foot. 



2 S. EDE'NTULA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 334.) herb glabrous, erect, 

 branched ; leaves broad-ovate, mucronate, on very short foot- 

 stalks ; capsules with toothless margins. O- H. Native of 

 Nipaul. Perhaps the same as the last. 



Toothless-capsuled Salomonia. Fl. June, July. PI. |- foot. 



3 S. OBLONGIFOLIA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 334.) herb glabrous, 

 erect, very simple ; leaves oval or elliptical, mucronulate, sessile ; 

 wings shorter than the keel ; capsules truncate, with crestedly- 

 toothed margins, in a double series. O- H. Native of Nipaul. 

 S. sessilifolia, D. Don, fl. nep. p. 201. Flowers purple. 



Oblong-leaved Salomonia. Fl. June, July. PI. ^ foot. 



4 S. ? CILIA TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 334.) stem erect, branched, 

 hairy, as well as the peduncles ; leaves lanceolate, obtuse ; cap- 

 sules ciliary-toothed. 0. H. Native of the East Indies. Po- 

 lygala ciliata, Lin. spec. 991. 



Ciliated-capsuled Salomonia. PI. ^'foot. 



Cult. These plants will require to be sown in pots in the 

 month of March, in a mixture of sand, loam and peat, then placed 

 in a moderate hot-bed, and in the month of May they may be 

 planted out in the borders in a sheltered situation. 



III. COMESPE'RMA (from nope, kome, the hair of the head, 

 and trvtppa, sperma, a seed ; in allusion to the tuft of hairs at 

 the end of the seeds, f. 69. c.). Labill. spec. nov. holl. 2. p. 

 21. D. C. prod. l.p. 334. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Octdndria. Calyx 5-sepalled, de- 

 ciduous ; two inner sepals of the form of wings, three outer 

 ones small. Petals 3-5, united with the tube of the stamens, 

 the lower one keel-formed, 3-lobed (f. 69. a.), middle lobe beard- 

 less, entire, or emarginate, 2 lateral petals scale-formed (f. 69. a.) 

 2 superior ones alternating with the superior sepals of the calyx. 

 Stamens 8, united into a tube, which is cleft in front, free at the 

 apex. Anthers bursting by a terminal pore. Fruit baccate or 

 capsular, 2-celled, spatulate (f. 69. 6.), tapering towards the base. 

 Seeds with a long tuft of hair at their base (f. 69. c.). Erect 



