Polygalaceae
Polygala

Polygala kasikensis Exell

First published in J. Bot. 70: 168 (1932)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. & SW. Tanzania to S. DR Congo. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Type
Type: Congo-Kinshasa, upper Katanga, De Witte 412 (BR!, holo.; BM!, iso.)
Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, up to 100 cm tall
Morphology Stem
Stems slender, simple or ± branched, glabrescent to glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, shortly petiolate (petiole 0.5–1 mm), linear to linearlanceolate, 100–200 × 3–10 mm, acute, base cuneate, glabrescent to glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pale purple, in many-flowered, simple or branched, ± dense, terminal racemes, narrowly conical to cylindric, 20–25 cm long, rachis patent-pubescent; bracts and bracteoles similar, ovate-lanceolate, 6–10 × 2.5–3.5 mm, persistent; pedicels 5–15 mm, usually patent-pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Posterior sepal keel-shaped, 6–6.5 × 4–4.5 mm; wing sepals suborbicular, 14–14.5 mm in diameter; anterior sepals keel-shaped, 5.5–6 × 3.5–4 mm, free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Upper petals obliquely elliptic, 9 × 4 mm, pubescent; carina 12 mm long; crest 4–6 mm long, fimbriate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule obovate in outline, 8–9 × 5.5–6 mm, winged (wing up to 0.5 mm wide), ciliate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds cylindric, 4–5 × 2 mm, with white silky hairs, 0.5 mm long; caruncle subsymmetric, kidney-shaped, with three very short appendages
Figures
Fig 6: 5, p 13
Ecology
Forest edge, soil pockets in rock, grassland; 1800–2200 m
Distribution
Range: Congo-Kinshasa Flora districts: T4 T7
[FTEA]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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