Heath Milkwort

This is a milkwort. They are not particularly common and probably only noticed in short-cropped grassland such as we have on the South Downs. There are several species which are difficult to tell apart. Differentiation depends largely on the arrangement and size of the leaves. This is heath milkwort, Polygala serpyllifolia, which can be recognised from the fact that the leaves lower down the stem are opposite.