114 POLYGALA FAMILY. 



XXXV. P0LYGALACEJ1, POLYGALA FAMILY. 



Bitter, some of them medicinal plants, represented mainly, 

 and here wholly, by the genus 



1. POLYGALA, MILKWORT. (Greek: much milk ; from a notion 

 that in pasturage they increased the milk of cows.) Flowers remark- 

 ably irregular, in outward appearance as if papilionaceous like those of 

 the next family, but really of a quite different structure ; calyx per- 

 sistent, of 5 sepals ; 3 of them- small, viz. 2 on the lower, and 1 on 

 the upper side of the blossom ; and 1 on each side called wings, which 

 are larger, colored, and would be taken for petals. Within these, on 

 the lower side, are 3 petals united into 1 body, the middle one keel- 

 shaped and often bearing a crest or appendage. Stamens 6 or 8 ; fila- 

 ments united below into a split sheath, separating above usually in 2 

 equal sets, concealed in the hooded middle petal; style curved and 

 commonly enlarged above or variously irregular ; ovary 2-celled, with a 

 single ovule hanging from the top of each cell, becoming a small, flattish, 

 2-seeded pod ; seed with an appendage at the attachment {caruncle) ; 

 leaves simple, entire, without stipules. Our native species are numer- 

 ous, mostly with small or even minute flowers, and are rather difficult to 

 study. 



§ 1. Low herbs, mostly smooth; native species. 



* Perennial or biennial ; flowers purple or white; leaves alternate. 



+- Flowers rose-purple, showy, also with cleistogamous flowers on sub- 

 terranean branches. 



P. paucifdlia, Willd. Fringed Poltgala, Flowering Winter- 

 green. Stems 3'-4' high, from long, slender, subterranean shoots ; leaves 

 few and crowded at the summit, ovate, petioled, some of them with a 

 slender-peduncled flower in the axil, almost an inch long, with a conspicuous 

 fringed crest ; stamens 6 ; in spring. 2/ Light soil in woods, chiefly N. 



P. polygama, Walt. Stems 5'-8' high, tufted and very leafy ; leaves 

 linear- oblong or oblanceolate ; flowers many in racemes, their crest con- 

 spicuous. Flowers all summer. © Sandy soil. 



■i- h- Flowers white, small (in late spring) in a close spike terminating 

 simple tufted stems which rise from a perennial root, none subterranean ; 

 leaves numerous, all alternate. 



P. Se'nega, Linn. Seneca Snakeroot. 6'-12' high ; leaves short, lance- 

 olate, or oblong, or even lance-ovate ; spike cylindrical ; wings round- 

 obovate ; crest small. A medicinal plant ; N. Eng. to Minn, and S. 



P. alba, Nutt. 1° high, slender ; leaves narrow-linear ; spike tapering, 

 long-peduncled, and wings oblong-obovate. Common only far W. and S. W. 



« * Annuals ; leaves all alternate ; flowers purple or rose-color, in a ter- 

 minal spike, head, or raceme all summer; none subterranean. 



*- Keel conspicuously crested; claws of the true petals united into a long 

 and slender cleft tube, much surpassing the wings. 



P. lncamata, Linn. From Penn. W. and S. ; stem slender, 6'-12' 

 high ; leaves minute and awl-shaped ; the 3 united petals extended below 

 into a long and slender tube, the crest of the middle one conspicuous. 



