Polygala amara, commonly known as Bitter Milkwort, is a perennial herb native to a variety of habitats including grasslands, open woodlands, and forest edges across Central and Eastern Europe, specifically in countries such as Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro. It typically grows to a height of 10-30 cm and has a slender, upright form. Bitter Milkwort produces small, violet to blue flowers with three petals and a fringed crest, blooming from May to August. The flowers are modest in size but can be quite showy when in large numbers.

Bitter Milkwort is valued for its delicate flowers and is used in wildflower gardens and naturalistic plantings to attract pollinators. It is also appreciated for its medicinal properties, historically used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. In cultivation, it requires well-drained soil and can tolerate a range of light conditions from full sun to partial shade. While not demanding in terms of water, it does best in moderately moist conditions. There are no widely known cultivars of this species in the horticultural trade. Potential problems include susceptibility to root rot in overly wet conditions. Bitter Milkwort is not known to be invasive and generally does not present any significant problems when grown in appropriate conditions.CC BY-SA 4.0