\\ll l> I I t\\| K- o| M \\ ^>KK 159 



In situations similar to the preceding species but more common north- 

 ward. Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan, south to Georgia and Kansas. 

 Flowering from July to September. 



Milkwort Family 



Pol y galaceae 



A family of small herbs (our species) with alternate, opposite or 

 whorled leaves. Flowers racemose, spicate or capitate, rarely solitary 

 and axillary, sometimes also with cleistogamous and subterranean flowers. 

 Sepals very unequal, the two lateral ones large and petallikt IVtals 

 three, united into a tube which is split on the back, and more or U-ss adnate 

 to the stamens. Stamens eight or six. monadclphous below, or diadelphous. 

 Capsule membranaceous, compressed, dehiscent along the margin. Seeds 

 one in each cavity of the capsule and usually hairy. 



Our species all belong to Polygala, a very large genus of plants, con- 

 taining about sixty species in North America, of which about eleven are 

 found in New York State. The following key may be of servici 

 identifying them. 



Flowers orange-yellow in a dense oblong spike . basal leaves spatulate i P 1 u t e a 



Flowers rose or purple, distinctly racemose j P. polygama 



Flowers rose-puiple to white, one to four in number, axillary, but apparently terminal 



3 I', pa u i f I ia 

 Flowers in terminal, more or less elongated spikes, or if the spikes oblong, flowers not 



yellow and no basal leaves 

 Leaves at least the lower, verticillate. spikes 4 to 9 lines thick, blunt, flowers purple 



to greenish white 



Spikes sessile or nearly so; wings deltoid . ..4?. cruciata 



Spikes peduncled; wings lanceolate-ovate . . $ P. b r e v i f o 1 i a 



Leaves verticillate and alternate; spikes a to 3 lines thick and acute 



Verticillate leaves predominating; spikes dense; flowers green to purplish 



6 P. vcrticillata 

 Alternate leaves predominating; spikes loose; flowers more purple 



7 P. ambigua 



