VOL. II.] 



AILANTHUS FAMILY. 



355 



i. Ailanthus glandulosa Desf. 



Tree-of -Heaven. Ailanthus. 



(Fig. 2272.) 



Ailanthus glandulosa Desf. Mem. Acad. 

 Paris, 1786: 265. 1789. 



A tree, 4o-9o high. Leaves i-3 

 long, petioled, glabrous, odd-pinnate; 

 leaflets 13-41, opposite or nearly so, 

 stalked, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, cordate 

 or truncate and often oblique at the base, 

 acute or acuminate at the apex, entire, or 

 with 1-4 blunt teeth near the base; flowers 

 greenish, about 3" broad, pedicelled, the 

 staminate ones ill-scented; samaras 

 twisted, nearly 2' long, very conspicu- 

 ous on the pistillate tree in autumn. 



Escaped from cultivation, along roadsides 

 and in fields, spreading extensively by suck- 

 ers, and seeding freely in some localities, 

 southern Ontario and in the eastern United 

 States. Called also Chinese Sumach. Nat- 

 uralized from China. June-July. 



Family 56. POLYGALACEAE Reichenb. Consp. 120. 1828. 



MIUCWORT FAMILY. 



Herbs, rarely shrubs or small trees in tropical regions, with alternate, or some- 

 times opposite or verticillate leaves; stipules none. Flowers racemose, spicate, 

 or solitary and axillary. Pedicels generally 2-bracted at the base. Flowers 

 perfect, irregular. Sepals 5, the two lateral ones (wings) large, colored, the 

 others smaller. Petals 3 (or 5), hypogynous, more or less united into a tube, 

 the lower one often crested. Stamens generally 8, united in i or 2 sets. Ovary 

 2 -celled; style simple; stigma curved, dilated or lobed; ovules i in each cavity, 

 anatropous. Fruit mainly capsular. Seeds generally caruncled, often hairy; 

 embryo straight. 



About 10 genera and 750 species, widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions. 



i. POLYGALA L. Sp. PI. 701. 1753. 



Herbs or shrubs, with alternate opposite or verticillate leaves. Flowers racemose, 

 spicate, or capitate, rarely solitary and axillary, sometimes also cleistogamous and subter- 

 ranean. Sepals very unequal, the two lateral ones large and petaloid. Petals 3, united into 

 a tube which is split on the back, and more or less adnate to the stamens. Stamens 8 or 6, 

 monadelphous below, or diadelphous; capsule membranous, compressed, dehiscent along 

 the margin. Seeds i in each cavity, generally hairy. [Greek, much milk.] 



A genus of about 260 species, of wide geographic distribution. Besides the following, about 

 36 others occur in the southern and western parts of North America. 



X- Flowers in corymbed spike-like racemes at the summit of the stem, yellow. 

 Basal leaves long, narrow, acuminate. i. P. cymosa. 



Basal leaves spatulate, or obovate. 2. P. ramosa. 



X- Flowers in solitary spikes or spike-like racemes, terminating the stem and branches. 

 Basal leaves spatulate, or obovate; flowers orange yellow. 3. P. lutea. 



Basal leaves inconspicuous, or wanting; flowers not yellow. 



Leaves, at least the lower, verticillate; spikes 4-9" thick, blunt; flowers purple to greenish 



white. 



Spikes sessile, or nearly so; wings deltoid. 4. P. cruciata. 



Spikes peduncled; wings lanceolate-ovate. 5. P. brevifolia. 



Leaves verticillate and alternate; spikes 2" -3" thick, acute. 



Verticillate leaves predominating; spikes dense; flowers green to purplish. 6. P. verticillata. 

 Alternate leaves predominating; spikes loose, long; flowers more purple. 7. P. ambigua. 

 Leaves all alternate. 



Petals united into a cleft tube, 3" -4" long; flowers pink. 8. P. incarnata. 



Petals not conspicuously united into a tube. 

 Spikes ovoid to globose. 



Bracts persistent; flowers rose-purple to white. 



Spikes blunt; wings broadly ovate. 9. P. viridescens. 



Spikes acutish ; wings narrowly ovate or elliptic. 10. P. Curtissii. . 



Bracts deciduous; flowers rose-purple. u. P.Mariana. 



