The Polygalaceae (syn. Diclidantheraceae, Moutabeaceae, Xanthophyllaceae) or the milkwort family are made up of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 21 genera and ca 900 known species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in one genus, Polygala, the milkworts. Under the Cronquist classification system, Polygalaceae were treated in a separate order of their own, Polygalales. Currently, according to the APG, the family belongs in Fabales.