Java milkwort (Polygala javana)

Java milkwort (Polygala javana) is a species of plant in the Polygalaceae family. It has erect, woody, branched stems with brown to black stems and white hairs or powdery hairs. The leaves are opposite and alternate. The leaves are oval, up to 30 mm long and up to 9 mm wide, and green.
The inflorescences are arranged in panicles, arranged in rows and radially. The flowers are butterfly-shaped, yellow, green, and purple, with white hairs, up to 8 mm wide.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Polygalaceae
Tribe: Polygaleae
Genus: Polygala Tourn. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 701 (1753)
Species: Polygala javana DC. in Prodr. 1: 327 (1824)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Polygala ceylanica B.Heyne ex Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 4183 (1831)
Polygala javana var. angustifolia Thwaites in Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 22 (1864)
Polygala raoi R.N.Banerjee & L.K.Banerjee in Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., B 82: 218 (1975)

PUBLICATIONS

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Dassanayake (ed.) (1988). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 6: 1-424. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Van Steenis, C.G.G.J. & De Wilde, W.J.J.O. (eds.) (1984-1989). Flora Malesiana 10: 1-748. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

VERNACULAR NAME

English: Java milkwort
Indonesia: Akar susu, Susu wangi
Java: Akar susu, Susu wangi
Malayalam: Kodassari, Kadassari
Tamil: Selagachedi

Aryo Bandoro
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