Polygala welwitschii subsp. pygmaea (Gürke) Paiva

First published in Fontqueria 50: 189 (1998)

This subspecies is accepted

The native range of this subspecies is Gabon to Uganda and S. Africa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Polygalaceae, Jorge Paiva. Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2007

Type: Type: Tanzania, Bukoba District: Bukoba, Stuhlmann 3763 (B†, holo.; K!, lecto.; BM!, isolecto.)
Morphology General Habit: Usually a dwarf herb, 3–9 cm tall
Morphology Stem: Stems simple or branched from the base, sometimes pseudo-di- or trichotomously branched
Morphology Leaves: Leaves 15–60 mm long, longer than the proximal inflorescence; wing sepals 2–3 × 2–2.8 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds (1.5–)1.6–2.2 × 0.6–0.9, whitish-silky-pubescent, rarely puberulous
Figures: Fig 5: 6, p 11
Ecology: Wooded grassland and grassland; 1050–1500 m
Note: Subsp. welwitschii is an Angolan endemic and an erect herb up to 18 cm tall, with stems usually pseudo-di- or trichotomously branched, wing sepals 3–4 × 2–3 mm, seeds brownishsilky-pubescent.
Distribution: Flora districts: U4 T1 T4 Range: Widespread throughout tropical Africa south of the Equator

[FTEA]

Polygalaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit: Annual 6–15 cm. tall, usually of dwarfed, tufted appearance; stems crisped-pubescent.
Morphology Leaves: Leaves 15–60 x 1–7 mm., linear or linear-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, glabrous or very minutely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers white, lilac or pinkish, pedicels 2–3 mm. long, in terminal racemes with dichotomous cymose branching much as in P. arenaria but the whole inflorescence much congested in conformity with the dwarf habit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Posterior sepal 1.5 mm. long; wing sepals 2–2.5 x 2–3 mm., suborbicular; anterior sepals, 1.5 mm. long, free.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Upper petals 1.5 x 1.5 mm., rounded at the apex with a notch on one side and a projection on the other; carina 2.5 mm. long, crest 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens 8.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Capsule 2.5 x 2.2 mm., suborbicular in outline, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds 2 x 1 mm., ellipsoid, white-silky-pubescent; caruncle about 0.5 mm. long with appendages about the same length.

[FZ]

Flora Zambesiaca
- Flora Zambesiaca
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Kew Backbone Distributions
- The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
- © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
- The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
- © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Descriptions