Linnaeus, C. (1 May 1753), Species Plantarum 2: 701 [tax. nov.]

• Type: (not designated).

Linnaeus, C. (1754), Genera Plantarum Edn. 5: 315 [secondary reference]

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1855), Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants: 38 [secondary reference]

Mueller, F.J.H. von (February 1862), Thalamiflorae. The Plants Indigenous to the Colony of Victoria 1: 184 [secondary reference]

Bentham, G. (30 May 1863), Flora Australiensis 1: 138-141 [secondary reference]

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1882), Systematic Census of Australian Plants: 141 [secondary reference]

Mueller, F.J.H. von (December 1889), Second Systematic Census of Australian Plants: 14 [secondary reference]

Bailey, F.M. (1913), Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants: 43 [secondary reference]

Britton, N.L. & Brown, A. (7 June 1913), An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British possessions Edn. 2, 2: 446 [secondary reference]

• Type: Polygala vulgaris L.

Sulman, F. (1914), A Popular Guide to the Wild Flowers of New South Wales II: 28-29, 238 [secondary reference]

common name: Milkworts [n/a]

Black, J.M. (January 1948), Casuarinaceae-Euphorbiaceae. Flora of South Australia Edn. 2, 2: 505 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "Latin form of Greek polygalon; polys, much; gala, milk; the ancients believed that animals eating some of these plants produced more milk."

Curtis, W.M. (1956), The Student's Flora of Tasmania 1: 59-60 [secondary reference]

Beadle, N.C.W., Evans, O.D. & Carolin, R.C. (1962), Handbook of the Vascular Plants of the Sydney District and Blue Mountains: 146 [secondary reference]

Adema, F.A.C.B. (1967), A review of the herbaceous species of Polygala in Malesia (Polygalaceae). Blumea 14(2): 254 [secondary reference]

Burbidge, N.T. & Gray, M. (1970), Flora of the Australian Capital Territory: 244 [secondary reference]

Curtis, W.M. & Morris, D.I. (1975), Angiospermae: Ranunculaceae to Myrtaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania Edn. 2, 1: 63 [secondary reference]

Thompson, J. (1978), Polygalaceae. Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium, Flora Series 112: 13-17 [secondary reference]

Cronquist, A.J. (1981), An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants: 775, 776, 777 [secondary reference]

Jacobs, S.W.L. & Pickard, J. (1981), Plants of New South Wales: 176 [secondary reference]

Pedley, L. in Jessop, J.P. (ed.) (1981), Polygalaceae. Flora of Central Australia: 198 [secondary reference]

Pedley, L. in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1984), Polygalaceae. Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1: 486-487 [secondary reference]

Wheeler, J.R. in Marchant, N.G., Wheeler, J.R., Rye, B.L., Bennett, E.M., Lander, N.S. & Macfarlane, T.D. (1987), Polygalaceae. Flora of the Perth Region 1: 472 [secondary reference]

Murray, L. in Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992), Polygalaceae. Flora of New South Wales 3: 5 [secondary reference]

Wheeler, J.R. in Wheeler, J.R. (ed.) (1992), Polygalaceae. Flora of the Kimberley Region: 640 [secondary reference]

Walsh, N.G. in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (ed.) (1999), Polygalaceae. Flora of Victoria 4: 131 [secondary reference]

Wheeler, J.R., Marchant, N.G. & Lewington, M. (2002), Dicotyledons. Flora of the South West 2: 800 [secondary reference]

Cooper, W.E. & Cooper, W.T. (2004), Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest: 404 [secondary reference]

Eriksen, B. & Persson, C. in Kubitzki, K. (ed.) (2007), Polygalaceae. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 9: 359-360, Figs. 125I, 128A, 129B [secondary reference]

Mabberley, D.J. (1 May 2008), Mabberley's Plant-Book Edn. 3: 688 [secondary reference]

Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2011), Australian Plant Census: - APC [secondary reference]

• APC Dist.: WA (native and naturalised), NT, SA (native and naturalised), Qld (native and naturalised), NSW (native and naturalised), NI (naturalised), ACT, Vic (native and naturalised), Tas (naturalised)

Kerrigan, R.A. (30 April 2012), A treatment for Polygala of northern Australia. Australian Systematic Botany 25(2): 96-97 [secondary reference]

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