A cosmopolitan family of 21 genera and ca. 940 species distributed from temperate to tropical areas except for New Zealand, Polynesia and frigid zones; 3 genera occur naturally in Australia.

Polygala - A genus of ca. 500 species, cosmopolitan; 15 species occur in Australia, 12 species endemic and 3 species naturalised.

Xanthophyllum - A genus of about 94 species in Asia, Malesia and Australia; three species occur naturally in Australia. Meijden (1982).

Adema, F. (1967). A review of the herbaceous species of Polygala in Malesia (Polygalaceae). Blumea 14(2): 254.

Meijden, R. van der (1982). Systematics and evolution of Xanthophyllum. Leiden Botanical Series 7:1-159.