Polygala sibirica subsp. sibirica

Polygala sibirica L., Sp. Pl. 702 1753. (syn: Polygala barthiana Fuss; Polygala glomerata Thw.; Polygala japonica var. cinerascens Franch.; Polygala macropetala Hassk.; Polygala pedunculosa Thw.; Polygala sibirica var. latifolia Ledeb.; Polygala sibirica var. stricta Debeaux; Polygala venosa Heyne ex Wall.);

Romania, Bulgaria, C- & E-European Russia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Northern Caucasus, Siberia (W-Siberia, C-Siberia), Kazakhstan, Russian Far East, Afghanistan (Paktia / Khost), Pakistan, North Korea, South Korea, China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan), Tibet, Mongolia, Jammu & Kashmir, India (Himachal Pradesh, Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradehs, NE-India, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Nepal, Vietnam as per Catalogue of Life;

Perennial herbs, about 10-40 cm tall. Stems slender, erect or decumbent, crispate pubescent, rootstock usually deep. Leaves simple, alternate, lowermost ovate, upper leaves linear lanceolate to linear oblong, about 6-35 x 2-8 mm across, base rounded to attenuate, margin recurved or flat, apex acute, obtuse with mucronate tip, coriaceous, scabrid above and pubescent beneath, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins 4-9 pairs, faint, veinlets reticulate, petiole subsessile or up to 1 mm long, stipules absent. Inflorescence in extra-axillary, terminal or leaf opposed racemes, few flowered, elongated in fruit, about 2-10 cm long. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, bluish purple, about 7-10 mm across, pedicels slender, about 3-4 mm long, elongated and recurved in fruit, bracts linear lanceolate, apex acute, caducous, puberulous, about 3-4 mm long, sepals 5, unequal, in 2 series, usually outer 3 small, linear lanceolate to oblong-ovate, concave, apex subacute, about 2.5-3.5 x 1.5-2 mm across, inner 2 larger petaloid winged sepals, falcately obovate to lanceolate, base narrow, apex obtuse, about 6-8 x 2-4 mm across, enlarged in fruit, 3-7 veined, veinlets anastomosing, margins ciliate or puberulous, membranous, glabrous, petals 3, pink, bluish purple, middle ones about 6 mm long, keeled, tubercled white crested, lateral ones orbicular, about 4-5 mm long, base hairy, divided in number of appendages. Stamens 8, monadelphous, filaments united basally, variously free above, into a somewhat tubular split staminal sheath, about 5-6 mm long, free portion about 1-2 mm long, anthers oblong, basifixed, dehiscing from the terminal pore, disk absent or well developed. Ovary laterally compressed, subglobose, bilocular, glabrous, about 1.5 mm long, anatropous ovules 2, anatropous, carpels 2, style terminal, about 6 mm long, stigma lateral, bidentate, superposed. Fruit capsule, compressed or flattened, obcordate, suborbicular, emarginated, about 4-5 x 5-6 mm across, margined with about 1-2 mm long wings, dehiscing loculicidal, usually enclosed in persistent sepals or winged sepals. Seeds 2, ellipsoid-obovoid, about 3-4 x 2-2.5 mm across, densely pubescent with white hairs, caruncle tri-lobed, with bi-appendiculate minute appendages, shorter about 1.5 mm long, longer about 2.5 mm long, mostly dark brown.

Grassy places, shaded places and along forest edges, altitude 1500-2800 m.

Asia: Bhutan, China, India: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan; Europe

(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India.; Kailash, B. R., ATREE, Bangalore, India.; Royal Norwegian Embassy grants. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi as per India Biodiversity Portal)
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Fwd: Reg: Polygala sibirica L. : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (2)- 4 mb and 300 kb.
Binomial name: Polygala sibirica L.

Family: Polygalaceae

Habitat: Shola forests and grasslands

Diffuse herbs. Leaves 11-15 x 5-7 mm, oblong, acute at both ends, glabrous. Racemes 5-10 mm long, axillary. Flowers densely packed, blue; outer sepals broadly ovate, unequal; inner sepals 3 x 1.5 mm, elliptic, acuminate, glabrous; wing petals 3 mm long, obovate, dorsal petal 4 mm long; crest fimbriate, branched. Capsule 2 x 2 mm, orbicular, glabrous, seeds 1.5 x 1 mm, hairy, caruncle-lobes equal.

Photographed and Identified by : S. Jeevith

Place : The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Identification requested.: Mixed thread: 5 images.
Polygala sp.