5. Polygala barbellata S. K. Chen, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 2: 83. 1980.
髯毛远志 ran mao yuan zhi
Shrubs, small, ca. 1.5 m tall. Branchlets densely tomentose. Petiole ca. 1.5 cm, densely tomentose, adaxially slightly depressed; leaf blade green, obovate, 24-32 × 8.5-9.8 cm, membranous, tomentose (sometimes only slightly so and only on veins), midvein raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 15-17 pairs, anastomosing near margin, veinlets reticulate, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, apex acuminate. Racemes terminal, 4.5-6 cm; peduncles densely tomentose. Flowers concentrated together, forming a golden towerlike inflorescence. Pedicel ca. 2 mm. Sepals 5, ciliate, unequal, caducous at anthesis; outer sepals 3, small, upper one cucullate, ca. 8 mm, lateral sepals ovate, ca. 4 × 3.2 mm; inner sepals 2, petaloid, obliquely ovate, large, ca. 15 × 7 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse. Petals 3, connate in lower 2/3, yellow-red; lateral petals broadly ovate, ca. 1.4 cm, with fascicled barb inside at base, apex rounded; keel hooded, ca. 1.5 cm, apex appendages with stalk ca. 3 mm. Stamens 8; filaments ca. 1.4 cm, lower 2/3 united forming an open staminal sheath; anthers clavate. Ovary broadly ovoid, ca. 2 mm, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., winged, ciliate; style ca. 1 cm, apex slightly inflated, bilabiate. Capsule broadly ovoid, ca. 1 cm in diam.; carpels ribbed, ciliate. Seeds brown, globose, ca. 4 mm in diam., pubescent, strophiolate. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Oct-Nov.
● Open forests, damp places on mountain slopes; ca. 1100 m. SE Yunnan (Pingbian).
One of us (Parnell) suggests that this may be synonymous with Polygala tonkinensis Chodat ; however, two of us (Chen and Ma) regard P. barbellata as a different species from P. tonkinensis , which is treated as a synonym of P. arillata (Fl. Malaysia).