Polygaloides is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Polygalaceae, order Fabales, comprising six species of low-growing shrubs and subshrubs. Five species are native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe, while one species — Polygaloides paucifolia, commonly known as gaywings or fringed polygala — is native to eastern North America.
The genus has had a contested taxonomic history. When Polygala is treated broadly, these plants are included within it. When Polygala is divided into multiple segregate genera, the correct name for this group has been disputed between Polygaloides Haller and the earlier Chamaebuxus Tournefort. A 2011 treatment recognised Polygaloides as the accepted name, but in 2024 Martinez and Pastore demonstrated that Tournefort's Chamaebuxus (published in 1753) was validly published under the rules of botanical nomenclature, rendering Polygaloides a superfluous and therefore illegitimate name. Plants of the World Online adopted Chamaebuxus as the accepted genus name as of November 2025, though Polygaloides remains in wide use and in various databases including GBIF.
Notable members include Polygaloides chamaebuxus (box-leaved milkwort), a low evergreen shrub widespread in the mountain ranges of central and southern Europe, and Polygaloides paucifolia, a delicate woodland plant of northeastern North America prized for its bright pink-purple flowers.
Taxonomy Notes
The name Polygaloides has been treated as accepted by some authorities but was shown in 2024 to be superfluous (nom. superfl.) because Tournefort's earlier Chamaebuxus (1753) takes priority under the International Code of Nomenclature. Plants of the World Online accepted Chamaebuxus as the correct name as of November 2025, while GBIF continues to use Polygaloides. When Polygala is circumscribed broadly, all species of this group are included within it.
Distribution
The genus has a disjunct distribution: five species occur in the Mediterranean basin and the mountains of central Europe (including the Alps and Pyrenees), while one species, Polygaloides paucifolia, is native to eastern North America.
