Polygala paniculata
Content
Description
Annual, erect, mostly much-branched herb, up to 50 cm high.
Leaves lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 5-20 by 1-4 mm, shortly petioled, acute, margin slightly recurved, (sub)glabrous, l-nerved, the lowest ones in one or more pseudowhorls of 4-5.
Flowers whitish or often purple tinged, 1.5-2 mm long, glabrous.
Sepals lanceolate, obtuse, the alae weakly 3-nerved.
Ovary ± orbicular;
Capsule somewhat longer than the alae, ± elliptic, c. 2 mm long, slightly notched, not winged.
Seeds oblong, at micropylar side with a one-sided, deeply 2-fid aril, black, hairy.
Distribution
Asia-Temperate: Taiwan (Taiwan present), Asia-Tropical, Bismarcks present, Carolines present, Central tropical Africa present, Indo-Australia present, Melanesia present, Micronesia present, NE. Australia present, New Caledonia present, New Hebrides present, Northern America, Okinawa present, Pacific: Fiji (Fiji present); Hawaii present; Samoa (Samoa present), Polynesia present, S. Japan present, Solomons present, Southern America, tropical America present
Native in tropical America, from Brazil to Mexico. Introduced in Central tropical Africa (PAIVA, l.c.) and Indo-Australia. In Malesia unintentionally introduced as early as 1845 or 1846 (BACKER, 1930) and since then abundantly naturalized throughout. Also in NE. Australia, Taiwan, and S. Japan (Okinawa), further widespread in Melanesia (Bismarcks, Solomons, New Hebrides, New Caledonia), Micronesia (Carolines), Polynesia (Fiji, Samoa, Marquesas, and recently in Hawaii).
Citation
BACKER 1930: Onkruidfl. Suiker: 393: Atlas t. 374
HUI-LIN 1977 – In: Lics. Fl. Taiwan: 558
ADEMA 1966 – In: Blumea: 267
SINCLAIR 1953 – In: Gard. Bull. Sing.: 31
GILLI 1980 – In: Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien: 452
STONE 1970 – In: Micronesica: 362
BACKER 1911: Schoolfl. Java: 79
A.C.SMITH 1985 – In: Fl. Vit. Nova: 723
HENTY & PRITCH. 1973 – In: Bot. Bull.: 136
BACKER & SLOOTEN 1924: Handb. Thee.: 159
K.SCH. & LAUT. 1905: Fl. Schutzgeb. Sudsee: 285
HANSEN c.s. 1967 – In: Dansk Bot. Ark.: 84
CHODAT 1893 – In: Monogr.: 229
BACKER & BAKH.f. 1963 – In: Fl. Java: 78
LINNE 1759 – In: Amoen.: 402
ADEMA 1969 – In: Proc. R. Soc. Queensl.: 128