Gaywings

Did you know

• The flower resembles a tiny fringed orchid or small airplane, with wing-like petals and a fringed keel petal.
• It also produces cleistogamous flowers underground that self-pollinate without ever opening, ensuring seed production.
• The genus name Polygala means 'much milk' because the plants were once believed to increase milk production in cattle.
• Also called Fringed Polygala or Bird-on-the-Wing, it spreads by underground rhizomes to form delicate woodland colonies.
• It is notoriously difficult to transplant because it depends on a mycorrhizal fungal relationship for nutrient absorption.

Color meanings

Uses

• native woodland gardens
• naturalistic plantings
• botanical education