Family: milkworts (Polygalaceae)
Flowering time: April–June
Size: 10–20 cm
Habitat: sunny forests, among shrubs and dry grasslands
Milkwort (Polygala chamaebuxus) is a small shrub with evergreen leathery leaves; other representatives of this genus that live here are herbaceous perennials. The narrow oval leaves of the milkwort are alternately arranged. Its two-lipped flowers are bi-colored, white and yellow or scarlet and yellow (as in the picture). At most three, 1 to 1.5 cm long, flowers develop in the axils of the cauline leaves. The milkwort prefers to grow on dry barren soils on a calcareous substrate.
In the Alpine, pre-Alpine and Dinaric regions of Slovenia the milkwort is common, while in Primorska and Prekmurje it has not been found.
