Velvetseed Milkwort

Polygala obscura Benth. PI. Hartw. 58. 1840
Polvgala puberula A. Grav, PI. Wright. 1: 40. 1852.
Polygala neo-mexicana Wooton & Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 16: 144. 1913.
Polvgala obscura genuina Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. 47: 30. 1916.
Polvgala vagans Brand. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 6: 365. 1917.
Polvgala laeta Brand. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 6: 366. 1917.
IPolygala obscura macrophylla Chod.; Loesener, Verh. Bot. Ver. Prov. Brand. 58: 148. 1917.
Many-stemmed, suffruticulose below, 1.2-3.8 dm. high, grayish-puberulous with incurved or rarely slightly spreading hairs; lower leaves oblong or oval-oblong, 1.2-2.8 cm. long, 4-7 mm. wide, the middle and upper oblong or oval-ovate to lanceolate or linear, 1.8-4.2 cm. long, 1.5-12 mm. wide, obtuse to acuminate, puberulous; racemes loose, 3.3-9 cm. long; flowers purplish; sepals lanceolate, acute; wings oval-obovate or elliptic, 4.5-5.8 mm. long, 2-3.5 mm. wide, rounded, sparsely pubescent along middle and toward apex; keel nearly glabrous, 4.8-5 mm. long; capsule oval, when young usually densely puberulous, in age glabrate and ciliate, or more or less puberulous on sides, 8-9 mm. long; seed 4-4.8 mm. high; aril 1.3-3 mm. long, veil-like, appressed, with broad irregularly lobulate scarious margin and pubescent umbo, but without distinct lateral and dorsal lobes.
Type locality: Hacienda del Carmen, Oaxaca.
Distribution: Texas and Arizona to Oaxaca.

Polygala orthotricha Blake, Contr. Grav Herb. 47: 31. 1916.
Several-stemmed, fruticulose below, 1.5-2 dm. high, densely pilosulous with short straight spreading hairs; lower leaves oval to oblong-oval, 5-11 mm. long, the middle and upper oblong, lanceolate, or linear, 1.7-3.5 cm. long, 2-6 mm. wide, acute at each end, spreading-pubescent and ciliate; racemes loose, few-flowered, 2-4.5 cm. long; flowers violet; sepals lanceolate, acuminate, sparsely spreading-pilosulous; wings oval, 4.8-5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, shortclawed, ciliolate, sparsely puberulous toward middle; capsule oblong-oval, ciliolate and sparsely spreading-puberulous, 10 mm. long; seed 4.7 mm. long; aril 2.4 mm. high, cloak-like, the broad scarious margin lobulate, not distinctly lobed.
Type locality: Foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona. Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Polygala brachyanthema Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. 47: 33. 1916.
Several-stemmed, fruticulose below, 1.7-3.3 dm. high, green, incurved-pubescent; lowest leaves obovate, 3-7 mm. long, the middle and upper oblong-elliptie, 1-1.5 em. long, 3-4.8 mm. wide, subobtuse, strongly mucronate, cuneate at base, sparsely incurved-pubescent; racemes 1 2-22-flowered, 5-8.5 cm. long; flowers purplish and greenish; sepals lance-ovate, acuminate, 2.5-3 mm. long; wings oval, 4.5-5 mm. long, 2.3-2.5 mm. wide, obtuse or subacute, greenish, ciliolate and pilosulous; keel glabrous, purplish except for the yellowish apex; capsule oval, ciliolate, 7-7.5 mm. long; aril 1 mm. high, 1.6 mm. long on the dorsal margin, the umbo pilosulous, 0.5 mm. high, the scarious margin irregularly crenulate-lobulate, produced into a short horizontal dorsal lobe.
Type locality: Minas de San Rafael, San Luis Potosi. Distribution: Known only from the type locality.