SIMARUBACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



I. Ailanthus glandulosa Desf. Tree- 

 of-Heaven. Ailanthus. Fig. 2694. 



Ailanthus glandulosa Desf. Mem. Acad. Paris 

 1786 ; 265. 1789. 



A tree, 40°-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 acumi- 

 nate 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 conspicuous on the pistillate tree in 

 autumn. 



Escaped from cultivation, along roadsides 

 and in fields, spreading extensively by suckers, 

 and seeding freely in some localities, southern 

 Ontario to Massachusetts, Virginia and Kan- 

 sas, Chinese sumac. Heavenward-tree. False 

 varnish-tree. Devil's-walking-stick. Natural- 

 ized from China. June-July. 



Family 69. POLYGALACEAE 

 Reichenb. Consp. 120. 1828. 



Milkwort 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), h3'pogynous, 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 perhaps looo species, widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions. 



I. POLYGALA [Tourn.] 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 subterranean. 

 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, monadel- 

 phous below, or diadelphous ; capsule membranous, compressed, dehiscent along the margin. 

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



A genus of about 450 species, of wide geographic distribution. Besides the following, about 

 40 others occur in the southern and western parts of North America. Type species : Polygala 

 vulgaris L. 



* Flowers in corjrmbed 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. 



** 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"-g" thick, blunt ; flowers purple to greenish white. 



Spikes sessile, or nearly so ; wings deltoid. 

 Spikes peduncled ; wings lanceolate-ovate. 

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



Verticillate leaves predominating; spikes dense; flowers green to purplish. 

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

 Leaves all alternate. 



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

 Petals not conspicuously united into a tutie. 

 Spikes ovoid to globose. 



Bracts persistent ; flowers rose-purple to white. 



Spikes blunt; wings broadly ovate. 5 



Spikes acutish ; wings narrowly ovate or elliptic. ic 



Bracts deciduous ; flowers rose-purple. 11 



Spikes cylindric. 



Leaves oblanceolate to linear, 2"-6" long ; flowers greenish to purplish 



P. cruciata. 

 P. brevifolia. 



P. verficillata. 

 P. ambigua. 



8. P. incarnata. 



P. viridescens. 

 P. Curtissii. 

 P. mariana. 



P. NiittalUi. 



