Polygala telephioides Willd., Sp. Pl. 3: 876 1802. ;

India (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Sri
Lanka, peninsular Malaysia, Burma
as per Catalogue of Life;

Common name: Orpine Milkwort • Hindi: Meradu • Kannada: Elesoppu, Bili cheeni kanigalu, Ghuntaani, Meradu • Marathi: नेगली Negli • Tamil: Chiriya nankai, Chiriya nantai • Telugu: Nelajanumu

Diffuse herbs. Leaves 15-20 x 5 mm, elliptic or lanceolate, apex obtusely acuminate, base cuneate, petiole ca. 6 mm. Flowers ca 3 mm across in axillary or leaf opposed racemes, blue, outer sepals ca 1.5 mm long, linear-lanceolate, ciliate, inner sepals ca. 2 mm long, elliptic, glabrescent; wing petals 1.5 mm, obovate, keel petals ca 3 mm; filaments variously connate middle two free; ovary ca 1 mm, ciliate, style curved at the middle, apex broad, stigma knob like. Capsule ca 2.5 x 2 mm, suborbicular, covered with wing sepals; seeds 2, villous, caruncle 3-lobed.

Flowering and fruiting: October-December
Deciduous forests
Indo-Malesia
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)


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Polygalaceae herb for ID :: May MK004 : 8 posts by 5 authors.  Attachments (6)

Please help me in identifying this small herb.
On seeing the fringed petals, I thought this could be a Polygalaceae member.
Plant Size: 10 – 15 cm across
Plant Height: not more than 10 cm
Leaf: 1 cm (little succulent)
Habitat: dry scrub forest floor
Place: Kancheepuram Dist., TN
Alt.: 29 m asl
Date: 13 May 2015


it is a species of Polygala


Polygala species. Please check this website wherein innumerable number of Polygala species photos etc., are available. 
http://www.phytoimages.siu.edu/imgs/benctan  /r/Polygalaceae_Polygala_sp_26937.html and
http://www.phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?genus=Polygala


The large sepal-like with veins seems to point to Polygala, although with the very small flowers fringed keel cannot be seen.
…, could you give an idea of the sizes ?  Form the images I am guessing
Leaves about 4×3 mm and raceme <  1 cm ?

This can be any of the several Polygala species, i.e P. telephioides Willd. P. folifolia Presl. or P. chinensis L. It can be confirmed only by studying the characters and comparing with descriptions in floras or specimens in herbaria.


Thank you all for the inputs. …, yes the leaf size is 0.5 x 0.4 cm. Attached is the close up of the inflorescence.