Polygala wattersii Hance

Shrubs or small trees, 1-4 m tall. Branchlets terete, longitudinally angular and sulcate, glandular-pubescent when young. Leaves congested at apices of branchlets; petiole 6-10 mm, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 4-10 × 1.5-3 cm, subleathery, both surfaces glabrous, midvein raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 8 or 9 pairs, slightly raised abaxially, evident adaxially, anastomosing near margin, reticulate veins absent, base attenuate to cuneate, margin entire, undulate, apex acuminate to caudate. Racemes 2-5, several axillary at apices of branchlets, 3-7 cm, shortly white glandular-hairy. Flowers sparse, 1.2-2 cm. Pedicel ca. 6 mm; basal bracteoles 3, caducous. Sepals 5, unequal, caducous at anthesis; outer sepals 3, ovate, 2-3 × 1.5-2 mm, apex obtuse, ciliate; inner sepals 2, petaloid, obovate, ca. 1.3 cm, base attenuate, ciliate or not, apex rounded, concave. Petals 3, connate in lower 3/4, yellow, rarely white or purple-red; lateral petals shorter than keel, apex truncate; keel ca. 1.5 cm, apex with 2 cucullate appendages. Stamens 8; filaments ca. 1.5 cm, lower 3/4 united, forming an open staminal sheath adnate with petals; anthers narrowly ovoid. Ovary obovoid, 1.5-2 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam.; style ca. 1.2 cm, apically thickening and curved, apex shallowly 2-lobed; stigma in lower lobe. Capsule obovoid or cuneate, 1-1.4 cm, ca. 6 mm in diam., base attenuate, margin winged, apex retuse, mucronate, wing with transverse veins. Seeds brown-black, ovoid, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., brown or white villous, hairs ca. 7 mm; strophiole absent. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. May-Jul.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [N Vietnam].

Broad-leaved forests, shrub forests on limestone mountains; 1000-1500 m.

Heterosamara wattersii (Hance) Paiva & P. Silveira; Polygala mariesii Hemsley.