1	"Alae petaloid, blue, mauve, pink or white in colour"	2
1	"Alae herbaceous to leaf-like, more or less green, rarely tinged dark maroon and/or purple"	10
2	"Robust erect perennial shrubs, usually 1–2 m high"	3
2	"Slender spreading, ascending or erect herbs or subshrubs, usually <60 cm high, if taller than annual herbs"	4
3	"Leaves obovate to oblong; inflorescences short and few-flowered amongst the upper leaves"	"Polygala myrtifolia"
3	"Leaves narrow-obovate to almost linear (sometimes almost absent); inflorescences pyramidal and several-flowered, exceeding the upper leaves"	"Polygala virgata"
4	"Flowers borne in terminal racemes"	5
4	"Flowers axillary or lateral; racemose or solitary"	9
5	"Main colour of alae blue to mauve"	"Polygala vulgaris"
5	"Main colour of alae white or cream (rarely pink)"	6
6	"Aril appendage 2-lobed, with the broad flattened lobes extending at least 1/3 of the way down the seed"	7
6	"Aril appendage 3-lobed and short, confined to apex of seed virtually absent"	8
7	"Alae white; fruit without wings; stems with minute glandular hairs present"	"Polygala paniculata"
7	"Alae cream; fruit wing developed on only one margin; stems without minute glandular hairs"	"Polygala duarteana"
8	"Plant glabrescent; style distinctly hooked; fruit narrowly winged"	"Polygala longifolia"
8	"Plant puberulous; style short and straight; fruit broadly winged"	"Polygala monspeliaca"
9	"Plant erect; leaves with scaberulous hairs; aril head helmet-shaped"	"Polygala persicariifolia"
9	"Plant lax and rather diffuse; curved hairs throughout; aril head skewed null"	"Polygala japonica"
10	"Staminal filaments 3+2+3 (triadelphous)"	11
10	"Staminal filaments 8 (monadelphous)"	12
11	"Stem indumentum of curved hairs; seed ~2 mm long, ellipticor ovoid [QLD]"	"Polygala polifolia"
11	"Stem glabrous; seed 3–4 mm long, oblong [northern Australia]"	"Polygala wightiana"
12	"At least some capsules prominently winged, wing between 0.5 mm and 4 mm wide, sometimes winged only at apex on some capsules"	13
12	"Capsules not prominently winged, if present, wing up to 0.5 mm wide"	18
13	"Alae lanceolate or narrowly elliptic and falcate; capsule asymmetrical"	"Polygala praecox"
13	"Alae ovate, elliptic, very widely ovate to orbicular, not falcate; capsule more or less symmetrical"	14
14	"Floral appendages entire null; capsule wing usually widest at apex of capsule lobes"	"Polygala integra"
14	"Floral appendages fimbriate or spathulate [Fig. 2E, F, H]; capsule wing usually more or less same width throughout"	15
15	"Seed with collar-like thickened testa adjacent to aril null"	"Polygala crassitesta"
15	"Seed testa uniform, without thickened collar-like area"	16
16	"Alae much broader than capsule (including wing), almost twice the width"	"Polygala validiflora"
16	"Alae ±equal to, only slightly wider or narrower than capsule (including wing)"	17
17	"Alae generally broader than capsule body (excluding wing); capsule wings if exserted only slightly past alae; [Cape York Peninsula only]"	"Polygala rhinanthoides"
17	"Alae ±same width as capsule body (excluding wing); capsule wings usually well exserted past alae; [northern Australia]"	"Polygala pterocarpa"
18	"Style shortly hooked at apex (but not forming horseshoe shape [Fig. 3F, G]), sinuous null or curved throughout null; accumulation of pollen above stigma can obscure view in dried material"	19
18	"Style distinctly hooked at apex to form horseshoe shape null; pollen accumulation in bend of hook"	27
19	"Floral appendages horned null; style cleft null"	"Polygala eriocephala"
19	"Floral appendages not horned; style not cleft"	20
20	"Style truncated into broad flattened apex, shortly hooked [Fig. 3F, G]"	21
20	"Style not truncated into broad flattened apex, straight or curved but not hooked"	22
21	"Apex of capsule lobes rounded, obtuse"	"Polygala canaliculata"
21	"Apex of capsule lobes acute"	"Polygala rhynchocarpa"
22	"Style distinctly dorso-ventrally flattened when fresh, without groove above stigma null; seed usually ovoid–oblong"	"Polygala succulenta"
22	"Style more or less terete, not distinctly dorso-ventrally flattened when fresh, if distinctly dorso-ventrally flattened then with groove above stigma; seed usually ovoid"	23
23	"Each floral appendage fimbriate [Fig. 2E, F] or bifurcate (2- to 4-pronged) and succulent null"	24
23	"Each floral appendage entire null, coralliform null or crenate null"	25
24	"Floral appendages fimbriate (≥4 prongs per appendage), leaves 4–33 mm long"	"Polygala exsquarrosa"
24	"Floral appendages variously divided, not fimbriate (<4 prongs per appendage), leaves 6–55 mm long"	"Polygala petrophila"
25	"Floral appendages coralliform null"	"Polygala clavistyla"
25	"Floral appendages not coralliform"	26
26	"Alae narrowly ovate 1.6–3.8 mm wide; capsules antrorse [Fig. 12] or perpendicular, not deflexed; floral appendages with crenate margins; stigma situated just below tip of style; style with hispid ascending hairs below stigma"	"Polygala parviloba"
26	"Alae broadly ovate to ovate 2–5 mm wide; capsules deflexed null; floral appendages entire (rarely notched); stigma flat situated laterally at tip of style; style glabrous"	"Polygala integra"
27	"Seed with two hair types, fine whitish hairs over much of seed and hollow clear hairs below aril null"	28
27	"Seed with one hair type, fine whitish or ferruginous hairs throughout or glabrous (hairs can be of different lengths) [Fig. 6B–G]"	30
28	"Floral appendage coralliform; leaves elliptic, obovate or orbicular"	"Polygala coralliformis"
28	"Floral appendage fimbriate; leaves elliptic, ovate, lanceolate or linear"	29
29	"Leaves of two general shapes, elliptic or ovate and linear, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic; plant with erect and decumbent branches"	"Polygala bifoliata"
29	"Leaves linear, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic; plant erect, branches spreading and ascending in the form of a candelabra"	"Polygala stenosepala"
30	"Aril head reduced, only represented by the attachment of the appendages [Fig. 5G, H]; if somewhat developed then approaching helmet-shape type null and plant tufted with foliage ±glaucous and leaf apex mostly emarginate or truncate"	31
30	"Aril head not reduced and either helmet-shaped, hooked or rounded [Fig. 5A–F]; if somewhat reduced null, then plant erect, foliage green and leaf apex obtuse"	34
31	"Indumentum of curved hairs and soft straight hairs; leaf apex of most leaves emarginate or truncate, leaves glaucous; plant decumbent"	"Polygala glaucifolia"
31	"Indumentum of curved hairs only; leaf apex of most leaves acuminate, acute, obtuse or rounded, leaves not glaucous; plant erect, often with lateral branches"	32
32	"Capsule deflexed to reflexed [Fig. 11B, C]; alae 2–4 mm long; inflorescence to 5(–20) mm long"	"Polygala dependens"
32	"Capsule perpendicular to deflexed; alae 3.5–8.0 mm long; inflorescence up to 40 mm long"	33
33	"Leaves obovate"	"Polygala geniculata"
33	"Leaves mostly linear to oblanceolate, rarely some leaves obovate"	"Polygala barklyensis"
34	"Stem and leaf indumentum usually of curved hairs only (Polygala tepperi and Polygala gabrielae very rarely with a few straight hairs, Polygala tepperi very rarely glabrescent)"	35
34	"Stem and leaf indumentum usually of curved and straight hairs (Polygala pendulina and Polygala dimorphotricha very rarely with curved hairs only)"	44
35	"Leaves mostly orbicular or depressed orbicular"	"Polygala orbicularis"
35	"Leaves mostly linear to obovate or elliptic"	36
36	"Lateral pocket on keel well developed null"	"Polygala saccopetala"
36	"Lateral pocket on keel absent or poorly developed"	37
37	"Most leaves obovate and seed ovoid"	"Polygala obversa"
37	"Most leaves other than obovate and if obovate, seed ovoid–oblong or oblong"	38
38	"Plant prostrate to erect with spreading branches; flowers recorded as yellow; coastal lowlands [sandy ridges, QLD]"	"Polygala glaucoides"
38	"Plant erect to ascending, sometimes with spreading lateral branches; flowers purple; in a wide variety of habitats, but not known from sandy coastal ridges"	39
39	"Capsule antrorse, apex usually acute, rarely rounded; leaves linear; plants up to 65 cm tall"	"Polygala tepperi"
39	"Capsule perpendicular to reflexed apex rounded; leaves various, linear to obovate; plants up to 60 cm tall, never 65 cm tall"	40
40	"Leaves linear, usually 0.5–2.5(4) mm wide, seed 4–5.5 mm long (including long hairs extending past base to ~1 mm long) null"	"Polygala stenoclada"
40	"Leaves linear to obovate, 1–14 mm wide; seed <4 mm long, if >4 mm, leaves not linear (check that no hairs are extending past base to ~1 mm)"	41
41	"Inflorescence exserted past leaves and beyond top of plant, up to 200 mm long null; alae in mature fruit <4.5 mm long"	"Polygala macrobotrya"
41	"Infloresence often exserted past leaves but not beyond plant null, up to 125 mm long; alae in mature fruit up to 8 mm long"	42
42	"Aril head hooked to rounded, not strongly helmet-shaped"	"Polygala gabrielae"
42	"Aril head strongly helmet-shaped"	43
43	"Alae 3.3–4.0 mm long"	"Polygala triflora"
43	"Alae 4.9–8.0 mm long"	"Polygala galeocephala"
44	"Alae much broader than capsule, almost twice the width"	"Polygala validiflora"
44	"Alae more or less equal to or narrower than capsule"	45
45	"Most leaves obovate, oblanceolate, orbicular, very widely ovate or very widely elliptic, usually with at least some leaves >11 mm wide"	46
45	"Most leaves linear, lanceolate, elliptic, oblong or ovate, if oblanceolate or obovate then ≤10 mm wide"	48
46	"Aril head helmet-shaped; floral appendages fimbriate [Kimberley region] null"	"Polygala kimberleyensis"
46	"Aril head rounded or hooked, not helmet-shaped; floral appendages spathulate null"	47
47	"Leaves mostly obovate to oblanceolate; seed ovoid–oblong; staminal flap 0.9–1.5 mm wide, upper petal claw 1 mm wide at staminal sheath null"	"Polygala dimorphotricha"
47	"Leaves mostly obovate to very widely obovate to orbicular; seed ovoid, staminal flap ~0.5 mm wide or less, upper petal claw ~2 mm wide at staminal sheath null"	"Polygala barbata"
48	"Inflorescence densely hairy (straight hairs) [Fig. 12], inflorescence short (<30 mm long)"	49
48	"Inflorescence sparsely hairy (straight hairs) or glabrous, if approaching densely hairy then inflorescence well exserted from leaf axils extending up to 90 mm long"	51
49	"Keel petal with a few long hairs abaxially"	"Polygala difficilis"
49	"Keel petal glabrous abaxially"	50
50	"Most leaves oblanceolate to obovate, up to 22 mm long; seed with short hairs extending 1/4 to 2/3 seed length from the aril zone"	"Polygala isingii"
50	"Most leaves linear to oblanceolate, occasionally some leaves narrowly elliptic or obovate, up to 46 mm long; seed with short hairs restricted to just below aril, rest of seed with longer hairs"	"Polygala pycnantha"
51	"Seed 2.5–2.9 mm; alae 5–7.8 mm long (mature fruit), leaves up to 3 mm wide"	"Polygala pendulina"
51	"Seed 3.0–4.2 mm long; alae 3.3–6.4 mm long (mature fruit); leaves 2–9 mm wide"	52
52	"Inflorescence up to 160 mm long, often scorpioid; tap root not usually thickened; pocket on keel petal"	"Polygala scorpioides"
52	"Inflorescence up to 90 mm long; tap root usually thickened; no pocket on keel petal"	"Polygala triflora"