Polygala spicata Chodat

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Muvumodzi Valley near Eastern Lakes, Eastern Chimanimani Mts.

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Synonyms:	Polygala capillaris E. Mey. var. angolensis Oliv. Polygala schlechteri Schinz
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Annual herb up to 40 cm tall with slender, wiry, hairless stems. Leaves linear to lorate, 5–8 mm long, hairless, often scarcely developed, sometimes slightly wider at the extreme base of the stem. Flowers small, white or pale greenish-yellow, pedicels 0.5–1 mm long, in many-flowered terminal racemes up to 10 cm long; rhachis hairless and threadlike. Posterior sepal 1 mm long; wing sepals broadly elliptic to rotund, 2–2.5 mm long, hairless; anterior sepals 1 mm long, free. Upper petals broadly elliptic, 1.3 mm long. Stamens 8. Capsules suborbicular in outline, c. 1 mm in diameter, hairless.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	spicata: arranged in a spike.
Habitat:	Boggy grasslands
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, Mozambique, Zambia,Zimbabwe and Mpumalanga South Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution:	C,E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Thursday 4 January 2018
Literature:	Exell, A.W. (1960). Polygalaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(1) Page 326. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 67. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 84. Timberlake, J., Darbyshire, I., Wursten, B., Hadj-Hammou, J., Ballings, P., Mapaura, A., Matimele, H., Banze, A., Chipanga, H., Muassinar, D., Massunde, J., Chelene, I., Osborne, J., Shah, T. (2016). Chimanimani Mountains: Botany and Conservation. Report produced under CEPF Grant 63512. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Page 47. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 97.

Other sources of information about Polygala spicata:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Polygala spicata
Flora of Zambia: Polygala spicata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Polygala spicata
African Plant Database: Polygala spicata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Polygala spicata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Polygala spicata
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Polygala spicata
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Polygala spicata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Polygala spicata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network): Polygala spicata
iNaturalist: Polygala spicata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Polygala spicata
JSTOR Plant Science: Polygala spicata
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Polygala spicata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Polygala spicata
Plants of the World Online: Polygala spicata
Tropicos: Polygala spicata
Wikipedia: Polygala spicata