A modern reference to temperate woody plants, including updated content from this site and much new material, can be found at Trees and Shrubs Online.

Polygala

Family

Polygalaceae

Common names

Milkwort

A large genus spread over both hemispheres and comprising herbaceous plants, shrubs and a few trees. Leaves alternate, simple, entire; flowers in racemes or spikes; sepals five, the three outer ones small, the two inner ones enlarged and petal-like, forming the ‘wings’ of the flower; petals usually three, united to one another to some extent and forming a keel; stamens commonly eight, united to form a tube. The name is derived from the Greek polys-gala, meaning much milk, some species being supposed to increase the flow of milk in cows.

Species articles

Modern name

Some names used by Bean have now been superseded and are no longer familiar. To ensure that all plants can be easily found, under any name, we have cross-referenced to The Plant List, a collaboration between RBG Kew, Missouri Botanical Gardens and other organisations, which aims to provide a currently accepted name for any plant. Not all taxonomists will agree with all Plant List nomenclature, but it provides a baseline to compare names. For each species above, clicking on the Modern Name will link to the entry for that name on The Plant List website.