204 XVI. poLYGALE^. (A. W. Bennett.) [Polygala. 



Gibs. Fl. Bomb, 13 {not of Benth.). P. macrostachya and eumekes, ffassk. 

 l.c. 171, 172. 



; Western Penibsula, from the Concan Bonth ward. Cetlon, Walker. 

 Stems 6-10 in., branching from the base, glabrous pilose or pubescent. Leaves J-2i 

 by -fji-\ in., acuminate, margins thickened, costa prominent beneath, upper surface 

 often shining. Racemes 3-5 in., laxly many-flowered. Flowers Jin., yellow; pedicels 

 slender; bracts minute. Outer sepals subequal; wings equalling the corolla, falcate, 

 obovate or hatchet-shaped, acute obtuse or acuminate. Capsule didymons, narrower 

 upwards, narrowly winded, notched, glabrous. ^Seeiis villous ; strophiole galeate, appen- 

 dages 3, very small. — P. Wightiana is the narrower leaved form. 



12. P. chinensis, Linn.; annual, erect or diffuse, leaves from orbi- 

 cular-oblong or obcordate to narrow linear, racemes short axillary and 



.extra-axillary dense-flowered, flowers horizontal or pendulous, outer sepals 

 small ovate, wings very oblique acute. P. arvensis, WUld. Sp. PL iii. 876 ; 

 DG. Prodr. i. 326 ; Boxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 218 ; W.& A. Prodr. i. 36 ; Thuiaites 

 Enum. 400. ? P. prostata, WUld. l.c. 896 ; DG. l.c. 333. P. Kothiana, W. &A. 

 Prodr. i. 37 ; Hassk. in Miq. Ann. Mus. i. 162. P. Tranquebarica, 

 Mart, ex Hb. Wight. 135 ; W.<k A. Prodr. i. 37. P. glaucoides, Wight in 

 Wall. Gat. 4171 (not of Linn.). P. grandiflora, Hb. Wight. ; Wall. Gat. 4175. 

 P. brachystachya, DC. l.c. 326 {not of Blume). P. procumbens, Both. Nov. 

 Sp. 329 ; DC. l.c. 326. P. exigua, Hassk. I.e. 173. 



Throughout India, from the Punjab to Peou, and in the Western Peninsula, and 

 Ceylon. — Disthib. Trop. Asia and Australia. 



A most variable, usually procumbent, leafy, rather stout herb ; 3-10 in. high, glabrous 

 or pubescent. Leaves excessively variable, J-2 in. long, sometimes quite obcordate, at 

 others almost orbicular, rather thick and coriaceous, glabrous, ciliate, hoary, or pubes- 

 cent, margins usually flat, opaque. Hacemes much shorter than the leaves, truncate, 

 almost capitate. Flmvers \-^ in. long. Wings longer than the suborbicular notched 

 ciliate narrowly winged capsule, gi'een, falcate, obovate, acute, margins membranous. 

 Crest of corolla often small. Seeds silky ; strophiole with 3 very short appendages.— 

 Linnaeus having described the crest as unbearded, this was not identified by Ue Candolle 

 with Willdenow's arvensis, but was placed in another section of the genus. The speci- 

 mens in the Linn. Herb, are however decisive. It is liuked by either intermediate or 

 mimicking forms with various other species. 



Var. triftora, Linn. {Sp.), racemes elongate, sometimes twice as long as the leaves, 

 lax-flowered. P. multibracteata, Wall. Cat. 4174. P. ramosa, Rb. Wight.; Wall. Oat. 

 4177. P. ciliata, Hb. Wight. P. Kleinii, Hassh. in Miq. Ann. Mus. i. 158.— Chiefly 

 in the Western Peninsula. 



Var. brachystachya, Blume Bijd. 59 ( Sp., not of DC.) ; stems very slender prostrate, 

 leaves very narrow glabrous, racemes very slender few-flowered, flowers minute, ^ in. 

 long. Hassle, in Miq. Ann. Mvs. i. 157. Malacca, Griffith. Western Peninsula? 

 (P. glabra, HeyneinSerb. Wight.) (Java). — Perhaps a distinct species, the flowers are 

 remarkably small and the habit is peculiar. 



13. P. rosmarinifolia, W. & A. Prodr. i. 37 ; annual, stems many 

 slender erect or decumbent, leaves narrow linear, racemes axillary and ' 

 extra-axillary short erect few-flowered, flowers shortly pedicelled erect, 

 outer sepals acute, wings obliquely obovate acuminate, capsules ciliate. 

 Thwaites Enum. 22, 400. P. Tranquebarica, Wight in Wall. Cat. 4169. 



? P. Arnottiana, Steud. Nomencl. z)o ; Hassk. ' in Miq. Ann. Mus. i. 159. 

 P. triflora, Hassk. l.c. 176 {not Linn.). P. linarifolia, Heyne according to 

 Hassk. l.c. 



Southern parts of the Western Peninsula and Cetlon. 



Stems many from the root, 4-18 in., twiggy, pubescent. Leaves ^-2 in., glabrous or 



