About
Polygala myrtifolia, the myrtle-leaf milkwort, is an evergreen 2–4 m tall South African shrub or small tree found along the southern and south-eastern coasts, from near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a fast-growing pioneer plant, a typical fynbos component, and may be found on dunes, rocky places, along forest margins, beside streams, and in open grassland. It belongs to the milkwort family of Polygalaceae. The thin, oval, mucronate leaves, 25–50 mm long and up to 13 mm wide, are arranged alternately and have entire margins – some forms of P. myrtifolia have thin, needle-like leaves. In the wild it grows across North America, Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and other regions.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Polygala myrtifolia
About the genus
Polygala is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae. They are commonly known as milkworts or snakeroots. The genus is distributed widely throughout much of the world in temperate zones and the tropics.
Wikipedia contributors, "Polygala", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Polygala
