294 THE MAHOGANY FAMILY. 



homes. It is a lovely individual, covered abundantly when in bloom with 

 loose masses of lilac coloured, fragrant flowers, and later laden with rounded 

 berries looking like marbles or bits of china. On them the blue jays feast, 

 so it is commonly related, and only discontinue gorging after the fruit's 

 juice has made them as tipsy as tipsy can be. 



THE MILKWORT FAHILY. 



PolygalacecE. 



A group of herbs^ 7'arely small trees, or shrubs in the tropics with al- 

 ter ?iate, opposite or 7vhorled and exstipulate leaves ivhich bear perfect and 

 irregular floivers, solitary a fid axillary, or grouped ifi various forms of 

 inflorescences. 



TALL PINE=BARREN MILKWORT. {Plate XC2.) 



Polygala cymbsa. 



Flowers : growing usually in compound, corymbed spikes. Calyx : with five 

 unequal sepals, the lateral ones of which are oblong, wing-like and appear like 

 petals. Petals : three, united in a sort of tube, the middle one forming a keel and 

 being crested at the summit. Leaves : scattered ; growing thickly in a tuft about 

 the base and becoming bract-like on the stem ; linear, pointed at the apex, 

 sessile; smooth; yellowish green. Stem : tall, two to four feet high; erect, simple, 

 smooth. 



We find always a charm in the polygalas, for in one form or another they 

 show us such elfin-like, quaint little flowers. Perhaps much of their ex- 

 pression is brought about by the lateral sepals, which often assume the shape 

 and proportions of petals, while the legitimate ones are bunched and united 

 in the centre as though content to let them flare in their stead. They are 

 not always simple things to analyse. A peculiar trait about those of this 

 species is that in drying they turn dark green. Besides showy flowers a 

 number of the genus bear others that are cleistogamous near their subter- 

 ranean parts. These look more like buds, are self-fertilized, and as they 

 never open, are not exposed to the damage from heavy storms, or to be 

 tossed about by the wind. 



P, rambsa, low pine-barren milkwort, becomes when in bloom a most at- 

 tractive individual and is very similar in growth to the above species, al- 

 though altogether smaller. Its stem leaves, also, are 'less bract-like, and 



