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Milkwort
Polygala japonica
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A small perennial herb growing in sunny grasslands and mountain fields. It blooms with purple flowers from spring to early summer. The flower shape resembles Fabaceae but belongs to a different family, an example of convergent evolution.
Identification Points
- โFlowers appear butterfly-shaped, but actually 3 inner parts are petals and 2 outer parts are sepals
- โPetal tips have fringed (fimbriate) appendages
- โLeaves alternate, narrow-ovate, and small
Habitat
Sunny grasslands and roadsides in mountain fields
Season
AprilโJuly (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Flower color
Purple
Habitat
Grassland
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Petal count
Many
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Zygomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Aromatic
Aromatic
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionใใกใใฎ็ง โ
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosids > Malpighiales > Polygalaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (approx. 70 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Polygalaceae belongs to Fabales; the flower morphology convergent with Fabaceae demonstrates adaptation to a sophisticated insect pollination system.
View on evolution timeline โSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification