Polygalaceae
Polygala

Polygala gomesiana Welw. ex Oliv.

First published in Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 126 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Angola to W. Zambia. It is a perennial 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, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb up to about 2 m. with woody rootstock with usually a single, longitudinally furrowed, glabrous or nearly glabrous stem.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves very variable in size (reaching a maximum of 10 x 2.5 cm. in Angolan material), elliptic to very narrowly elliptic acute or rounded at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous or nearly so.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bright purple, pedicels slender, pilose, up to 12 mm. long, in many flowered terminal racemes up to 40 cm. long, branched or simple, rhachis pubescent, with persistent, purplish scarious, ovate or ovate-acuminate bracts and bracteoles up to about 7 (9) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Posterior sepal 6 mm. long, keel-shaped, pilose; wing sepals up to 12 x 11 mm., obliquely suborbicular, glabrous; anterior sepals c. 5.5 mm. long, free, keel-shaped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Upper petals 6 x 3 mm. laterally deeply notched; carina 7 x 4 mm., crest 3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 9–10 mm. long, strongly curved, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 5–6 x 4.5–5.5 mm., broadly obovate in outline, sparsely pilose on the margin with marginal wing 0.5–1 mm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2.5 x 1.8 mm., ovoid, white-silky-pubescent; caruncular appendages absent.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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