Polygala is a genus of about 500 species of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s belonging to the family
PolygalaceaeThe Polygalaceae or Milkwort family is a family of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 17 genera and 900–1,000 species of herbs, shrubs and trees...
, commonly known as
milkwort or
snakeroot. The genus includes
herbaceousA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plantA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, and has a
subcosmopolitanIn biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is a state of being found almost anywhere around the world. A cosmopolitan biological category, e.g. genus, may be called a cosmopolite.Examples of cosmopolitan species:* Humans* House dust mite...
distribution.
Discussion
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Polygala is a genus of about 500 species of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s belonging to the family
PolygalaceaeThe Polygalaceae or Milkwort family is a family of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 17 genera and 900–1,000 species of herbs, shrubs and trees...
, commonly known as
milkwort or
snakeroot. The genus includes
herbaceousA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plantA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, and has a
subcosmopolitanIn biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is a state of being found almost anywhere around the world. A cosmopolitan biological category, e.g. genus, may be called a cosmopolite.Examples of cosmopolitan species:* Humans* House dust mite...
distribution.
Species
Polygala species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Large Grizzled SkipperThe Large Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper . It is distributed throughout most of continental Europe but is absent from Denmark and practically all European islands including Great Britain, Ireland, Azores, Balearic Islands, Channel Islands, Canary Islands, Crete, Cyprus, Iceland, etc.This...
.
Selected species
- Polygala alba - White Milkwort
- Polygala alpestris - Alpine Milkwort
- Polygala amara - Bitter Milkwort
- Polygala amarella - Dwarf Milkwort
- Polygala apopetala
- Polygala arillata
- Polygala calcarea - Chalk Milkwort
- Polygala chamaebuxus
Polygala chamaebuxus is an ornamental plant of Polygala genus in Polygalaceae family.-External links:*...
- Shrubby Milkwort
- Polygala comosa - Tufted Milkwort
- Polygala cowellii - Tortuguero
- Polygala lutea - Yellow Milkwort
- Polygala major
- Polygala myrtifolia
- Polygala nicaeensis - Nice Milkwort
- Polygala paucifolia
Gaywings or Fringed polygala is a perennial plant of the family Polygalaceae.Mature plants are 3 to 6 inches tall. Stems are smooth, slender and green. Leaves are clustered at the top, appearing to be whorled, but they are not. Leaflets are oblong to lanceolate — narrow at the base with a pointed...
- Fringed Milkwort
- Polygala senega - Senega
Senega is the dried root of the Polygala senega, In 1911, it was official in the British and United States pharmacopoeias. Senega contains an active principle, saponin. Senega is used chiefly as a stimulating expectorant in chronic bronchitis. It is occasionally used as a diuretic in renal dropsy...
Root
- Polygala serpyllifolia
Polygala serpyllifolia is a native perennial of heaths and grassy places. Height to 25 cm. The lower leaves are in opposite pairs. Flowers May to August....
- Thyme-leaved Milkwort
- Polygala tenuifolia
Polygala tenuifolia is a plant in the family Polygalaceae.-Medicinal uses:Yuan Zhi is a small medicinal herb hardy to USDA Zone 6 and used primarily as an expectorant. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called yuan zhi ....
- Yuan Zhi in Chinese
- Polygala vayredae
- Polygala virgata
- Polygala vulgaris - Common Milkwort
External links