Milkworts
Polygala
Polygala is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae. They are commonly known as milkworts or snakeroots. The genus is distributed widely throughout much of the world in temperate zones and the tropics. The genus name Polygala comes from the ancient Greek "much milk", as the plant was thought to increase milk yields in cattle.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Polygala
sectionPolygala
Sweet Pea Shrub
speciesPolygala myrtifolia
Purple Broom
speciesPolygala virgata
Polygala hybrida
speciesPolygala hybrida
Slender Falsepea
speciesPolygala garcini
Butterfly Falsepea
speciesPolygala bracteolata
Heartleaf Falsepea
speciesPolygala fruticosa
small purple broom
speciesPolygala hottentotta
Polygala sibirica
speciesPolygala sibirica
Polygala japonica
speciesPolygala japonica
Rough Falsepea
speciesPolygala affinis
Microlophium
sectionMicrolophium
Brachytropis
sectionBrachytropis
Polygala uncinata
speciesPolygala uncinata
chalk milkwort
speciesPolygala cretacea
Heathleaf Butterflybush
speciesPolygala ericifolia
Polygala transvaalensis
speciesPolygala transvaalensis
Polygala tenuifolia
speciesPolygala tenuifolia
Livid Falsepea
speciesPolygala microlopha
Dwarf Polygala
speciesPolygala amatymbica
Hong Kong Milkwort
speciesPolygala hongkongensis
Polygala sphenoptera
speciesPolygala sphenoptera
Donkey Falsepea
speciesPolygala teretifolia
Magdalena Milkwort
speciesPolygala magdalenae
Umbel Falsepea
speciesPolygala umbellata
Polygala producta
speciesPolygala producta
Woolly Falsepea
speciesPolygala asbestina
Hairyflower Falsepea
speciesPolygala pubiflora
Frivolous Milkwort
speciesPolygala fallax
Ridged Fasepea
speciesPolygala refracta
Polygala tatarinowii
speciesPolygala tatarinowii
Stout Falsepea
speciesPolygala peduncularis
Polygala gracilenta
speciesPolygala gracilenta
Polygala venenosa
speciesPolygala venenosa
Polygala albida
speciesPolygala albida
Polygala supina
speciesPolygala supina
Polygala arillata
speciesPolygala arillata
Violet Falspea
speciesPolygala rehmannii
Polygala wolfgangiana
speciesPolygala wolfgangiana
Polygala erioptera
speciesPolygala erioptera
Polygala ohlendorfiana
speciesPolygala ohlendorfiana
Polygala rhinostigma
speciesPolygala rhinostigma
Polygala arvensis
speciesPolygala arvensis
Polygala leptophylla
speciesPolygala leptophylla
Polygala arenaria
speciesPolygala arenaria
Polygala gerrardii
speciesPolygala gerrardii
Polygala chinensis
speciesPolygala chinensis
Rock Falsepea
speciesPolygala wittebergensis
Polygala serpentaria
speciesPolygala serpentaria
Polygala guerichiana
speciesPolygala guerichiana
Skaap-Ertjie
speciesPolygala ephedroides
Shortkeel Falsepea
speciesPolygala recognita
Polygala caucasica
speciesPolygala caucasica
Polygala macowaniana
speciesPolygala macowaniana
Polygala latouchei
speciesPolygala latouchei
Polygala gazensis
speciesPolygala gazensis
Polygala triflora
speciesPolygala triflora
Polygala longifolia
speciesPolygala longifolia
Polygala senensis
speciesPolygala senensis
sweet pea shrub
hybridPolygala × dalmaisiana
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Commentaries on the Six Books of Pedanius Dioscorides on Medical Matter
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1565 · p.1380
History of Rare Plants of Pannonia
Carolus Clusius · 1576 · p.338
History of Rare Plants Observed in Pannonia
Carolus Clusius · 1583 · p.320
Bencao Gangmu, Volume Upper-Middle
李時珍 · 1596 · p.24
Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.343
History of Rare Plants
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.337
History of Rare Plants
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.336
Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.116
Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.342
Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Plants
王圻, 王思義 · 1607 · p.46
Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Realities of Plants, Volume 7
吳其濬 · 1848 · p.25
Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Realities of Plants, Volume 7
吳其濬 · 1848 · p.27
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Polygala in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 61208.