Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Polygala japonica
Common name
Dwarf milkwort
Family
Polygalaceae
Where found
Dry forest, woodland, and grassland. Widespread.
Notes
Perennial herb to 0.25 m high or prostrate or sprawling. Stems wiry, hairy with curled hairs. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.4–2 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, more or less hairless except for the hairy midrib, prominently veined. Flowers mauve or pinkish to purple, with 3 petals in the middle of the flower, the largest looking like the fringed keel of a pea flower, and 2 coloured sepals that look like the wings of pea flower, each about 3-5 mm long. Flowers in clusters. Flowers spring-summer
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
Vulnerable Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Polygala~japonica (accessed 1 February, 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
