''Polygala vulgaris'', known as the common milkwort, is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

plant of the genus '' Polygala'' in the family

Polygalaceae The Polygalaceae or the milkwort family are made up of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 27 genera and ''ca''. 900 known species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in one ...

Description

The biological form of ''Polygala vulgaris'' is '' hemicryptophyte'' ''

scapose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

'',Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 32 as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves. ''Polygala vulgaris'' reaches on average in height. The stems have many branches and are woody at the base. It has alternating pointed leaves, almost glabrous, 2 to 4 mm wide and 10 to 20 mm long. Basal leaves are spatulate, with rounded apex, while the upper leaves are lanceolate. The flowers are gathered in long terminal inflorescences. The colour of the corolla varies between blue and violet, it can rarely occur in purple forms. The flower's outer three sepals are normally small, green and insignificant, whilst the inner two sepals are bigger. The inner sepals are usually shorter than the petals. The stalks of the eight stamens are joined together to form a tube, and united with this tube, one on either side, are two tiny petals. On the lower side of the flower lies the third petal; it too, is joined to the stamen tube, but it is larger, and fringed. The flowering period extends from May through July. Common milkwort is quite similar to the heath milkwort ('' Polygala serpyllifolia''), but in this species the inner sepals are usually longer than the petals. The heath milkwort can be all the same colours except for white. These four possible colours account for the milkworts' Irish folk-name of 'four sisters'.

Distribution

This species is widespread in Europe, in Asia up to Japan and in US (Oregon and Michigan).Plants
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Habitat

Common milkwort grows in meadows, slopes, edges of forests, heaths, sunny woods, dunes and grasslands. It is frequent in patches on calcerous grassland, from sea level up to 2200 meters. Polygalaceae - Polygala vulgaris-1

Culture

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

, it was called ''

Freya In Norse paganism, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chario ...

's hair'', but after the introduction of Christianity, it was renamed after the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

.Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 228.

Medicinal uses

According to Classical and Renaissance writers common milkwort was used medicinally as an infusion to increase the flow of a nursing mother's milk.

Subspecies

* ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''alpestris'' (Reichenb.) Rouy & Fouc. ''Polygala alpestris'' Reichenb. * ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''comosa ''(Schkuhr) C$elak. ''Polygala comosa'' Schkuhr * ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''rosea '' Polygala nicaeensis'' subsp. ''caesalpini'' Bubani * ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''nicaeensis ''(Koch) Rouy & Fouc. ''Polygala nicaeensis'' Koch * ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''calliptera ''(Le Grand) Rouy & Fouc. ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''calliptera'' L. * ''Polygala vulgaris'' var. ''calliptera'' Le Grand ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''calliptera ''(Le Grand) Rouy & Fouc. * ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''collina'' (Reichenb.) Borbás ''Polygala vulgaris'' subsp. ''collina'' L. ref name=Antho
Subspecies in Anthos
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Gallery

File:Polygalaceae - Polygala vulgaris-3.JPG File:Polygalaceae - Polygala vulgaris.JPG File:Polygalaceae - Polygala vulgaris-4.JPG File:Milkwort blue.JPG, Blue form File:Milkwort mauve.JPG, Mauve form File:Polygalaceae - Polygala vulgaris-2.JPG

References

* The Wild Flower Key British Isles-N.W. Europe by Francis Rose, page 132 * Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain - The Reader's Digest Association Limited, London, 2004
Acta Plantarum

External links

Biolib

Schede di Botanica
{{Taxonbar, from=Q162905 vulgaris Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of Japan Flora of the United States Flora of Oregon Flora of Michigan Flora without expected TNC conservation status