214 POLYGALACEAE. 



smooth. Leaves evenly pinnate, 1-2 dm. long, the slender petiole enlarged at the 

 base; leaflets 4-8, coriaceous, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, inequilateral, 3-8 cm. 

 long, dark-green, glabrous and shining above, paler green and glabrous or 

 sparingly pubescent beneath; panicles axillary, 6-15 cm. long; calyx-lobes 

 rounded; petals white, spreading, about 4 mm. long; stamen-tube glabrous; 

 ovary ovoid; style erect; stigma 5-rayed; capsule ovoid, woody, 6-12 cm. long, 

 splitting from the base into 5 thick valves, the 5-winged axis persistent; seeds 

 about 18 mm. long, the wing obtuse. 



Coppices and scrub-lands, Abaco, Great Bahama, Lignum Vitae Cay, Andros, New 

 Providence, Great Guana Cay, Exuma, Long Island, Eleuthera to Watling's, Acklin's, 

 Crooked Island, Mariguana, the Caicos and Inagua : Florida ; West Indies ; Mexico 

 to Peru. MAHOGANY. MADEIRA. Catesby, 2 : pi. 81. 



Cedrela odorata L., recorded by Dolley from the Bahamas, is unknown by 

 us from any island or cay in the archipelago. It may have been planted. 



Family 11. POLYGALACEAE Rchb. 

 MILKWORT FAMILY. 



Herbs, rarely shrubs or small trees in tropical regions. Stipules none. 

 Pedicels generally 2-bracted at the base. Flowers perfect, irregular. 

 Sepals 5, the two lateral inner 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 1 or 2 sets. 

 Ovary 2-celled; style simple; stigma curved, dilated or lobed; ovules 1 in 

 each cavity, anatropous. Fruit mainly capsular. Seeds generally ca- 

 runcled; embryo straight. About 10 genera and 1000 species, widely dis- 

 tributed. 



Wings much larger than the other sepals and petaloid ; lateral petals partially 

 adnate to the androecium ; the Bahama species herbs. 1. Polygala. 



Wings somewhat larger than the other sepals, not petaloid ; lateral 



petals coherent to the androecium at the base ; shrubs or trees. 2. Badiera. 



1. POLYGALA L. Sp. PI. 701. 1753. 



Herbs or shrubs. Flowers racemose, spicate or capitate, rarely solitary and 

 axillary, sometimes also cleistogamous and subterranean. Sepals very unequal, 

 the two lateral ones (wings) large and petaloid. Petals 3, united in/to 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 1 in each cavity, generally hairy. [Greek, 

 much milk.] A genus of about 450 species, of wide distribution. Type species: 

 Polygala vulgaris L. The following descriptions were contributed by Dr. J. K. 

 Small. 



The two lower sepals wholly or partly united. 



Sepals with marginal stipitate glands. 1. P. bahamensis. 



Sepals glandless. 2. P. Krugil. 



Sepals distinct. 



Racemes sessile or nearly so, permanently short ; sepals with 



marginal glands ; bracts persistent. 3. P. spathulata. 



Racemes long-peduncled, elongate or elongating ; sepals with- 

 out marginal glands ; bracts deciduous.. 

 Racemes slender, interrupted in anthesis ; stems slender, 



wiry ; capsules suborbicular ; seeds oblong-ovoid. 4. P. Wightiana. 



Racemes stout, not interrupted ; stems stout, fleshy ; cap- 

 sules oblong-obovoid ; seeds broadly clavate. 5. P. Wilsoni. 



