Polygalaceae

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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[1] of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in one genus, Polygala, the milkworts.

The family was first described in 1809 by Johann Hoffmansegg and Johann Link.[2] In 1896, Robert Chodat split it into 3 tribes. A fourth tribe was split off from the tribe Polygaleae in 1992.[3] Under the Cronquist classification system, Polygalaceae were treated in a separate order of their own, Polygalales. Currently, according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, the family belongs in Fabales.

Description

Polygalaceae are annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, trees or lianas.Template:R Its zygomorphic, hermaphrodite, bisexual flowers have 3-5 petals and 5 sepals.[4][5] Its leaves are usually alternate, but may be opposite, fascicled, or verticillate.[4] Each flower usually contains 8 stamens, though this may range from 3 to 10. They are usually in 2 series.[5] The fruits of each plant can be a capsule, samara, or drupe.[4]

Tribes and genera

The Polygalaceae comprise the following genera,[4] with tribes based on various sources.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Fossils

Systematics

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest the following relationships:[11][12][13][14][15][16]

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References

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