Herbs, trees, shrubs, lianes, saprophytes; sometime species parasitic
Distribution
subcosmopolitic, but not West Pacific and cold zones of both hemispheres
Floral characters
zygomorphic; K5 ( C3 or 5) A4+4 or 10 or 3-7 G_(2-5 ( or -8)) 5 sepals, 2 of them look like petals, the others are green. 3 petals are connated with A to form tube. One of them is often apically fringed. The ovary is hypogynous. Bisexual.
Leaf characters
simple, entire, without stipules, alternately arranged, sometimes a pair of glands or spines
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
loculicidal capsule, nut, samara or drupe
Glands
present or absent
Hairs
absent
Latex
absent
Uses
Polygala senega (root) was used as antidote for snakebite; also has an emetic or cathartic effect.
Chemical characters
Saponines, bitter taste of leaves
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Xanthophylleae (Polygalaceae)
map: from van der Meijden 1982
Polygaleae (Polygalaceae)
map: from GBIF 2009; FloraBase 2009; orange from Paiva 1998
