Polygala polygama

Polygala polygama
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Polygalales
Family:	Polygalaceae
Genus:	Polygala
Species:	P. polygama
Binomial name
Polygala polygama Walter
Natural range of Polygala polygama from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: racemed milkwort

Description

"Herbs, whorled or alternate rarely opposite, entire leaves. Flowers lavender, pink, white or yellow, in racemes or spikes, terminating the branches or in terminal corymbs. Flowers perfect, zygomorphic, with 3 small sepals, frequently one of these slightly larger than the others, and 2 larger petaloid sepals (wigs). The 3 petals are united into a tube, 3-lobed at apex, the 2 lateral lobes usually the longer, the center lobe usually lacerate, often thicker in texture; stamens 6-8, united to the corolla tube in 2 rows. Capsule 2 –locular, with one seed in each locule. Seeds dark brown or black, ellipsoid or ovoid, rarely globose, 0.5-3 mm long, usually densely pubescent. The genus has been divided into several genera none of which have distinct characteristics. Orange flowers turn pale yellow on drying, yellow ones bluish green; the pink or lavender ones remain the same color or fade slightly." - Radford et al 1964

"Glabrous biennial or weak perennial herb, 3-5 dm tall, from a tap root; branches erect, slightly radiating from a crown, stems uniformly leafy. Leaves alternate, linear-oblong to oblong-spatulate, 1.5-4 cm long, revolute, apex usually with a sharp mucro, racemes 5-25 cm long; bracts deciduous. Sepals green, with pink or white margins, ca. 2 mm long, wings pink, elliptic , 4-6 mm long, tapered to claws; corolla slightly shorter than the wings, fringed; stamens 8. Cleistogamous flowers in racemes from the base of the plant, either below or just above the surface of the soil, rarely from the lower leaf axils. Seeds black, ca. 3 mm long, densely short-pubescent; aril 2-lobed ½ as the seed body." - Radford et al 1964

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, P. polygama has been found in a longleaf pine-mixed-oak-wiregrass association on a sandy hill slope, upland unburned pine woodland with thick vegetation, annually burned longleaf pineforest, piney woods and ridges, and burned areas (FSU Herbarium). It can also occur on xeric sandhills near roadsides. Associated species include Licania michauxii, Balduina angustifolia, Helianthemum corymbosum, Conradina canescens, Pinus palustris, Aristida stricta, Quercus, Verbena rigida, Solanum dimidiatum, Carex, Marshallia obovata and Oenothera fruticosa (FSU Herbarium).

Light levels observed include open and semi-shaded areas (FSU Herbarium). Soil types recorded are white xeric sand and loamy sand (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowering occurs April and May (FSU Herbarium).

References and notes

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: July 2015. Collectors: James R. Burkhalter, M. J. Jordan, R. A. Norris, R. Komarek, Wilson Baker, Robert K. Godfrey, Loran C. Anderson, Bill Boothe, Marcia Boothe, R. F. Doren. States and Counties: Florida: Escambia, Jackson, Leon. Georgia: Decatur, Grady, Thomas. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.