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  Characters 
  237 
  

  

  of 
  other 
  well-known 
  rayed 
  species. 
  Another 
  in- 
  

   stance 
  may 
  be 
  quoted; 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  pointed 
  out 
  

   by 
  Grant 
  Allen, 
  and 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  dead-nettle 
  or 
  

   Lamium 
  album. 
  Systematically 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  

   genus 
  with 
  red-flowering 
  species, 
  we 
  may 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  its 
  white 
  color 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  latency 
  of 
  the 
  

   general 
  red 
  pigment. 
  But 
  if 
  the 
  flower 
  of 
  this 
  

   plant 
  is 
  carefully 
  examined, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   most 
  cases 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  purely 
  white, 
  but 
  to 
  have 
  

   some 
  dusky 
  lines 
  and 
  markings 
  on 
  its 
  lower 
  lip. 
  

   Similar 
  devices 
  are 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  lip 
  of 
  the 
  

   allied 
  Lamium 
  maculatum, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  less 
  de- 
  

   gree 
  on 
  the 
  somewhat 
  distant 
  Lamium 
  pur- 
  

   pureum. 
  With 
  Lamium 
  maculatum 
  or 
  spotted 
  

   dead-nettle, 
  the 
  affinity 
  is 
  so 
  close 
  that 
  even 
  

   Bentham 
  united 
  the 
  two 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  species, 
  con- 
  

   sidering 
  the 
  ordinary 
  dead-nettle 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  va- 
  

   riety 
  of 
  the 
  dappled 
  purple 
  type. 
  For 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  of 
  this 
  conception 
  of 
  a 
  specific 
  or 
  varietal 
  

   retrograde 
  change 
  many 
  other 
  facts 
  are 
  af- 
  

   forded 
  by 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  characteristic 
  

   color 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  patterns 
  of 
  the 
  lips 
  of 
  

   other 
  labiates, 
  and 
  our 
  general 
  understanding 
  of 
  

   the 
  relationships 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  genera 
  in 
  

   this 
  family 
  may 
  in 
  a 
  broad 
  sense 
  be 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  

   comparison 
  of 
  these 
  seemingly 
  subordinate 
  

   characteristics. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  holds 
  good 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  cases, 
  

   and 
  svstematists 
  have 
  often 
  become 
  uncertain 
  

  

  