POLYGALACE^— MILKWORT FAMILY 



PURPLE MILKWORT. ROSE POLYGALA 



Polygala sangidnea. Polygala viridescens 



Annual or biennial. Moist meadows and sandy places. 

 Often growing in sufficient numbers to cover a field. 

 Nova Scotia to North Carolina and Louisiana west to 

 Minnesota and Kansas. July-September. 



Stem. — Erect, angular, and slightly winged, eight to 

 twelve inches high, branching or simple. 



Leaves. — Alternate, linear, or narrow oblong. 



Flowers. — Usually rose-purple, in ovoid to globose- 

 compact terminal spikes or heads. Sometimes green, 

 rarely white. 



Calyx. — Of five irregular sepals; three small, two 

 lateral ones much larger and called wings. These are 

 broad ovate and resemble petals; are dilated at the base, 

 rose-color and green, longer than the fruit. 



Corolla. — Of three petals, their claws cohering to the 

 stamen tube, the lowest one larger than others and 

 called the keel. 



Stamens. — Six or eight, filaments united into a tube 

 which is split on the upper side. 



Pistil. — Ovary two-celled; style dilated in the middle, 

 hooded and bearded. 



Fruit. — Capsule compressed. Seeds grayish black, 

 hairy. 



A field of Rose Polygala suggests a field of Red 

 Clover, the individual flower-head is in appearance 

 not unlike a Clover head. The curious thing about 

 the flower is that tvv^o of the sepals look like petals. 

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