Polygala sanguinea
Polygala nana
blood milkwort, blood or purple or field milkwort, field milkwort, polygale sanguin, purple milkwort
candyroot, dwarf milkwort
erect, glabrous.
erect, glabrous.
alternate;
sessile or subsessile;
blade spatulate proximally to linear or narrowly elliptic distally, (5–)10–20(–40) × (0.5–)1–3(–5) mm, base acute or obtuse, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous.
mostly basal, rarely cauline, with persistent rosette; alternate; usually with narrow petiolelike region to 15 mm, rarely (sub-)sessile;
basal blade spatulate, usually oblanceolate or obovate, rarely elliptic, 11–55 × (1.5–)5–20 mm, succulent, base cuneate or acute, apex rounded to acute, occasionally apiculate, rarely acuminate, surfaces glabrous.
capitate to densely cylindric, (0.5–)1–2(–4) × 0.5–1.4 cm;
peduncle 0.3–2.5(–3) cm;
bracts subpersistent to tardily deciduous, subulate.
capitate, 1–3.8 × 1–1.7 cm;
peduncle 2.3–7.5 cm;
bracts deciduous, often tardily so, or sometimes persistent, linear-subulate.
0.4–1.5 mm, glabrous.
winged, 0.4–0.8(–1) mm, glabrous.
usually pink, purple, or reddish purple, rarely white, sometimes greenish tinged, sepals sometimes pink or white, 4–6 mm;
sepals oval, elliptic-ovate, or lanceolate, 1–3 mm;
wings ovate to broadly elliptic, (2.6–)4.5–6.3 × (1–)2.5–3.5 mm, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, sometimes minutely apiculate, rarely acute;
keel 2.5–3 mm, crest 2-parted, with 2–4 lobes on each side.
lemon-yellow to greenish yellow, drying green or yellowish green, 5.5–8.2 mm;
sepals decurrent on pedicel, lanceolate, 3–5.3 mm, sometimes ciliolate;
wings elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 5.5–8 × 1.2–2(–2.6) mm, apex long-acuminate to cuspidate, involute, tip 0.7–1.6 mm;
keel 3.5–5.8 mm, crest 2-parted, with 3 entire or 2-fid, linear lobes on each side;
stamens 6(–8).
usually with flattened, sterile base, cuneate-subglobose, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, margins not winged (sometimes with raised rim).
broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 1.6–2 × 1.2–1.6 mm, margins not winged.
1.3–1.7 mm, pubescent;
aril 1–1.3 mm, lobes usually (1/2–)2/3 to ± length of seed, rarely minute.
0.8–1.8 mm, pubescent;
aril 0.7–1.1 mm, lobes 1/3 to equal length of seed.
= 64, 68.
Polygala sanguinea
Polygala nana
Polygala sanguinea is the only species of the genus in the flora area with the wings to twice the length of the keel. Late season flowers can have much smaller wings, some as small as 2.6 × 1 mm.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Individuals of Polygala nana in scattered populations (especially in southern Florida) approach the habit of P. smallii, with the inflorescences scarcely exceeding the leaves; they can be distinguished using the differences discussed under 28. P. smallii. Herbarium specimens of robust individuals are sometimes confused with P. lutea and small, rosulate plants of P. lutea may be confused with P. nana. If fresh flower color (orange in P. lutea, yellow in P. nana) is not available, then the taxa can be distinguished readily by the pedicel length, 1.5–2.8 mm in P. lutea and less than 1 mm in P. nana, as well as the involute apical cusp on the sepal wings of P. nana usually ca. 1 mm (0.7–1.6 mm), versus sepal wings only partially involute apically and cusps (if present) less than 0.5 mm in P. lutea.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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