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Polygala amara, dwarf milkwort
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Polygala amara, dwarf milkwort
Illustration of Polygala amara, Table 83. from Icones Plantarum Medicinalium (1781) by Johann Zorn. Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London
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Media ID 8600183
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Dwarf Eudicot Eurosid Fabales Fabidae Flora Johann Milkwort Polygala Purple Rosid Zorn Angiospermae Dicot Dicotyledon Magnoliophyta Polygalaceae
EDITORS COMMENTS
This exquisite illustration depicts Polygala amara, commonly known as dwarf milkwort, a small flowering plant belonging to the Polygalaceae family. The illustration is taken from Johann Zorn's Icones Plantarum Medicinalium, published in 1781. The illustration, held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum in London, provides a detailed and accurate representation of the plant's morphology. Polygala amara is a low-growing eudicotyledonous angiosperm, belonging to the order Fabales and the subclass Rosids. It is native to Europe and Asia, and can be found in damp meadows and grasslands. The plant is characterized by its small, purple flowers, which bloom in clusters. Each flower consists of a five-lobed corolla and a four-lobed calyx. The plant's leaves are simple, ovate, and sessile. The dwarf milkwort was of great interest to botanists of the 18th century, including Zorn, due to its medicinal properties. The plant was used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including respiratory issues and gastrointestinal problems. The active compounds responsible for its medicinal properties were later identified as alkaloids, specifically polygalin and polygalaoside. Zorn's illustration of Polygala amara is a testament to the meticulous attention to detail and accuracy that characterized botanical illustration during the 18th century. The illustration provides a valuable record of the plant's morphology and serves as a reminder of the rich natural history of the European flora.
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