P O L Y G A L A vulgaris.
Milkwort.
D IA D E L P H IA OBandria.
Gen. Char. Cal. of five leaves, two o f them wing-
fhaped, and coloured. Pod inverfely heart-fhaped,
two-celled.
Spec. Char. Flowers in a clutter, crelted. Stems herbaceous,
fimple, procumbent. Leaves linear-lanceolate.
Syn. Polygala vulgaris. Linn. Sp. PI. 986. Hudf.
FI. An. 3x0. With. Pot. Arr. 754. Relh. Cant.
268.
Poly gala. Rail Syn. * 287.
jV llL KW O R T grows every where in dry heathy paftures
and on rocks, flowering in June and July. Its perennial woody
root throws out many fpreading procumbent Items, clothed
with deep-green fmooth leaves, which vary much in fize and
figure. The flowers, commonly blue, are often white, flelh-
coloured or purple, but in all cafes marked with green lines.
The permanent calyx turns at length wholly green, and wraps
up the young pod, doling and drooping to protect it from rain.
So the elegant fringed creft of the corolla Ihelters the ftamina
and piftillum, admitting air, but fcarcely wet or infeCts.
An infufion of the herb, which is very bitter, taken in a
morning falling, about a quarter of a pint daily, promotes expectoration,
and is good for a catarrhous cough. I tried it at
Montpellier by the advice of Profeflor Gouan with fuccefs,
and have fince known it ufeful. J. E. Smith.