2738 



POLYGALA 



POLYGALA 



forty North American species but only a few of them 

 have been offered by dealers in native plants. The 

 hardy species should be grown in rather light soil, 

 but they require some moisture and are best adapted 

 to partially shaded positions. They may be raised 

 from seed sown in the fall or early spring. The more 

 commonly cultivated species are the exotic ones, espe- 

 cially the shrubby Cape kinds which grow from 2 to 4 

 feet or more high, bearing subterminal racemes of 

 large flowers. 



INDEX. 



acuminata, 10. 

 alba, 1. 



amatymbica, 10. 

 apopetala, 9. 

 Chamsebuxus, 2. 

 cordata, 5. 

 cordifolia, 5. 

 dalmacina, 7. 



Dalmaisiana, 7. 

 dalmatiana, 7. 

 grandiflora, 2, 6. 

 grandis, 5. 

 latifolia, 5. 

 longiflora, 6. 

 major, 5. 

 myrtifolia, 6, 7. 



oppositifolia, 5. 

 paucifolia, 1. 

 polygama, 4. 

 purpurea, 2. 

 Senega, 3. 

 speciosa, 8. 

 virgata, 8. 



A. Plants hardy. 



B. Fls. showy, }4-%in. long. 



c. Keel beautifully fringed. 



1. paucifolia, Willd. FLOWERING WINTERGREEN. 

 GAYWINGS. FRINGED MILKWORT. FRINGED POLYGALA. 

 Fig. 3099. Trailer, 3-6 in. high: upper Ivs. clustered, 

 ovate, 1^2 in. long; lower Ivs. distant, small, and be- 

 coming mere bracts at the base: fls. bright rosy pur- 

 ple, varying to white, 1-4 in the axils of the upper 

 Ivs. or appearing terminal. May, June. New Bruns. 

 to Winnipeg, and Ga. Prefers moist woods and sphag- 

 num bogs. B.M. 2852 (petals white). B.B. 2:361. 

 Var. alba was once offered by a Mass, dealer in hardy 

 plants, where it grows wild. One sometimes finds 

 violet-fld. forms. The species bears cleistogamous fls. 



cc. Keel merely 4-lobed. 



2. Chamaebuxus, Linn. BOX-LEAVED MILKWORT. 

 Evergreen trailer: upper Ivs. lanceolate or elliptical, 

 mucronate; lower Ivs. smaller, obovate: peduncles 

 axillary and terminal, about 2-fld. ; fls. as many as 10 

 on a stalk, typically yellow, more or less reddish 

 toward the end of the keel; stamens united only at 

 the base. April-June. Eu., low heaths and woods to 

 highest Alps. L.B. 



C. 6:593. B.M. 316 

 (wings white: petals 

 white at base, yellow 

 or red at tip). Var. 

 grandiflora, .Gaudin 

 (var. purpurea, Neilr.), 

 has purple wings, 

 set off by yellow pet- 

 als. Gn. 13:36; 30: 

 148 (charming: wings 

 rosy pink). 



BB. Fls. not showy. 



c. Infl. a spike; fls. not 



pedicelled. 



3. Senega, Linn. 

 SENECA SNAKEROOT. 

 MOUNTAIN FLAX. Fig. 

 3100. Height 1 ft. or 

 less: Ivs. 1-2 in. long: 

 fls. white or greenish, 

 1^2 lines long; crest 

 small, few-lobed. May, 

 June. Rocky woods, 

 New Bruns. to Rockies, 

 south to N. C. to Mo. 

 B.B. 2:360. L.B.C. 

 14:1380. B.M. 1051. 

 Bears 



no under- 

 ground fls. 

 Root used 



in medicine. 



3100. Polygala Senega. ( x l A) 



cc. Infl. a raceme; fls. pedicelled. 



4. polygama, Walt. Height 1 ft. or less: Ivs. 1 in. or less 

 long: fls. purple or rose, rarely nearly white, 2-3 lines 

 long; crest relatively large, laciniate. June, July. Dry 

 soil, Nova Scotia to Lake of the Woods, S. Fla. to 

 Texas. B.B. 2:360. Bears numerous underground fls. 



AA. Plants tender. 



B. Habit shrubby, erect, 2-3 ft. high or more. 

 c. Lvs. opposite. 



5. oppositifSlia, Linn. Probably the only species in 

 the genus with opposite Ivs.; an abnormal feature in 

 the whole family. Tall slender shrub: racemes few-fld.; 

 fls. large, purplish. S. Afr. B.M. 492. B.R. 636 

 Harvey gives 8 botanical varieties, of which probably 

 the commonest in cult, is var. cordata, Harv. (P. 

 cordifolia, Thunb., not Presl. P. oppositifolia var. 

 major, Lindl. P. oppositifolia cordifolia, Voss). Gla- 

 brous or downy: Ivs. broadly cordate, acute or acumi- 

 nate: fls. bright purple-red or purple-violet. B.M. 2438. 

 B.R. 1146. L.B.C. 12:1189. Var. latifdlia, Ker (P. 

 grandis, Hort.). Lvs. heart-shaped, acute, smooth: fls. 

 large, beautiful purple-violet, bearded. 



cc. Lvs. alternate. 

 D. Lateral petals 2-cut. 



6. myrtiffilia, Linn. Readily told from P. virgata, its 

 infl. being a few-fld., leafy raceme, while that of P. 

 virgata is many-fld. and leafless. Densely branched 

 shrub, 3-8 ft. high, with large, showy fls. near the ends 

 of the branches: Ivs. flat, variable in shape, but not 

 subulate: lateral petals 2-lobed, the posterior lobe ear- 

 shaped, reflexed. S. Afr. Var. grandiflora, Hook. (P. 

 grandiflora, Hort., and L.B.C. 13:1227, not Walt. P. 

 longifldra, Dietr.). Fls. over 1 in. long. B.M. 3616. 

 B.R. 669. G.W. 10, p. 629. 



7. Dalmaisiana, Hort. (P. myrtifolia var. Dalmais- 

 iana, Hort.), also often wrongly offered in the trade 

 as P. dalmacina and P. dalmatiana. It resembles P. 

 myrtifolia var. grandiflora very closely: Ivs. rather tend- 

 ing to be alternate, sessile, rather glaucous as in P. 

 myrtifolia: fls. in terminal racemes, rather large, purple 

 or rosy magenta with the base of the keel whitened or 

 almost white. R.H. 1844:193. Gt. 5:161. R.B. 25: 

 145. G.W. 8, p. 316. P. Dalmaisiana is said to be a 

 hybrid P. myrtifolia var. grandiflora (P. grandiflora) 

 crossed by P. oppositifolia var. cordata (P. cordifolia}. 

 The pictures show some slight verification of this, but 

 many authorities treat the plant as a variety of P. 

 myrtifolia; this species and its varieties are very com- 

 monly cult, in Calif., particularly the one known in 

 gardens as P. dalmacina or P. dalmatiana; this flowers 

 all the time and is very popular. The popularity of P. 

 Dalmaisiana in Calif, is an example of the persistence 

 of a good thing in gardens, though almost unknown to 

 botanists. The spelling dalmatiana shows that some 

 gardeners have thought the name a geographical one. 

 The plant was named after M. Dalmais, a French 

 gardener, who raised it from seed in 1839. As known 

 in the trade, P. Dalmaisiana is a free-blooming plant 

 with rosy or purplish fls. It goes under three or four 

 names. It makes a good pot-plant, but is somewhat 

 bare of foliage. It blooms from the ends of the rip- 

 ened growth. It can be had in flower almost any time. 

 The odd color and shape of the fls., and its free 

 blooming, make it very attractive. It roots only fairly 

 well from cuttings. Usually it propagates better by 

 layering. Put in rich loam with well-rotted manure. 

 It will stand considerable frost. 



t>D. Lateral petals not 2-cut. 



8. virgata, Thunb. Glabrous shrub, 2-5 or even 15 

 ft. high, with rod-like branches terminating in many- 

 fld., leafless racemes of purple or flesh-colored fls.: 

 anterior sepals distinct; wings obtuse. S. Afr. The 



