Scientific name: Polygala vulgaris L.
Common name: Common Milkwort
Description
Habit: A hairless perennial, to 25 cm high.
Stems: Semi-erect or straggling, woody at the base.
Leaves: Stalkless, less than 35 mm long, undivided, elliptical; all alternate.
Flowers: Blue, lilac, pink or white, zygomorphic, 4-7 mm long, 10-30 in racemes; sepals 5, inner 2 larger and petal-like, outer 3 small and green; petals 3, united to form a 3-lobed tube, the middle lobe fringed at the tip; stamens 8; ovary superior.
Fruits: A small, flat capsule, enclosed by persistent sepals, with 2 seeds.
Habitat: Grassland, limestone pavement, dry banks and stabilised sand-dunes. Distribution: Frequent to abundant on limestone, occasional to rare elsewhere.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No