The Polygalaceae (syn. Diclidantheraceae, Moutabeaceae, Xanthophyllaceae) or Milkwort family is made up of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 17 genera and 900–1,000 species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in one genus, Polygala, the milkworts.
Under the Cronquist classification system, the Polygalaceae was treated in a separate order of its own, the Polygalales. Currently, and according to the APG, it belongs to Fabales.