Polygalaceae
Polygala

Polygala ehlersii Gürke

First published in Beibl. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 47: 36 (1894)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Chad to N. Tanzania. It is a scrambling annual or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Type
Type: Tanzania, Kilimanjaro, Ehlers 68 (B†, holo.)
Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herb, scrambling and semi-scandent, up to 15 cm tall
Morphology Stem
Stems slender, branched, crisped-pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, petiolate, ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 10–40 × 4–15 mm, acuminate, base cuneate or subobtuse, crispedpubescent on both sides; petiole 1–1.5 mm, crisped-pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink, in lateral racemes 2–10 cm long, flexuous, lax (space between two flowers up to 3 cm) and few-flowered, with 2–9 flowers and the rachis crisped-pubescent; bracts ovateacuminate, 1.5–2 mm long, pubescent, persistent, bracteoles ovate, 1–1.3 mm long, pubescent, persistent; pedicels 4–10 mm, pubescent, but often pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Posterior sepal keel-shaped, 3–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm, sparsely pubescent; wing sepals suborbicular, 5.5–7 × 5–6.5 mm, inconspicuously and laxly reticulate, glabrous; anterior sepals keel-shaped, 2.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm, sparsely pubescent, free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Upper petals obliquely oblanceolate, 4–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm, puberulous towards the base; carina 4.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm; crest 2–3 mm long, fimbriate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule broadly elliptic to almost orbicular in outline, 5–5.5 × 4.5–5 mm, asymmetrically emarginate, narrowly winged (wing 0.5–0.8 mm wide), ciliolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid-ellipsoid, 3–3.5 × 1.5 mm, shortly sericeouspubescent; caruncle subsymmetric, with three appendages, two long, 0.5–1 mm long, the other one shorter or almost absent
Ecology
Dry open places in short grassland, forest clearings and forest margins; 1800–2700 m
Distribution
Flora districts: K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 ; T2 T3 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 2025. 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