polygala
(pəˈlɪgələ)
[mod.L., f. Gr. πολύ much + γάλα milk.]
An annual or perennial herb or a shrub belonging to the large genus so called, which is a member of the family Polygalaceæ and is widely distributed in most regions of the world; = milkwort 1 (in quot. a 1661 = sainfoin).
| 1578 [see milkwort 1]. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1662) Kent 57 Saint-Foine or Holy-hay..otherwise called Polygala, which I may English much Milk, as causing the cattle to give abundance thereof. 1671 [see milkwort 1]. 1823 Curtis's Bot. Mag. L. 2437 The common Polygala is so very variable a plant. 1840 [see ivy-berry b]. 1870 W. Robinson Wild Garden i. 9 The small sapphire buds of the alpine Polygala. 1936 Discovery Feb. 48/2 Large anchusas were beginning to flower.., huge polygala, and I don't know what else. 1977 S. Dealler Wild Flowers for Garden iv. 67, I think of the Polygalas as generally trouble free, non-aggressive, slightly vulnerable plants. |