No. 64. MONARDA. S7 



This genus offers several anomalies, and must there- 



fore be divided into three subgenera, as follows : 



1. True Monarda. Calyx with five equal teeth, flow* 

 ers capitate, involucrate, such as 1. M. coccinea. 2. M. 



Jistulosa^ 3. M. oblongata. 4. M. dinopodia. 5. M, 

 purpurea. 6. M. bradburiana. 7. M. scabra. 8. M. ru- 



gosa. 9. M. mollis^ &c, 



2. Cheilyctis. Raf. Caljx with five unequal teeth, 

 flowers verticillate, involucrate. M. punctata, 



3. Blephilia. Raf. Calyx bilabiate, upper lip shorter, 

 bidentate, lower tridentate, flowers verticillate, brac- 



M. 



Western 



or varieties of this genus ; but I am not yet prepared to 

 give a complete monography of them. I shall merely 

 indicate here three presumed new species of mine. 



1. J/, rigida. R. Stem simple, stiff, rough, leaves 

 sessile, amplexicaule, rough, oval, subcordate, nearly ^ 

 entire, acute, head terminal ; involucre lanceolate, acu- * 

 minate, stiff, flowers pale purple. In west Kentucky, 

 among rocky hills. A true Monarda. 



2. M. virgata. R. Stems simple, smooth, fistulose, 

 angles acute, leaves very far remote, petiolate, lanceo- 

 late, acute, base subcordate, glaucous beneath, nearly 

 entire j head terminal, small ; involucre oblong, acute, 

 ciliate j flowers of a pale flesh, colouf. Prairies of Illi- 

 nois and Arkansas. th^ ^^ * * V 



3. M. pralensis* 'R, (Blephilia.) Stem simple,. smooth, 

 angles acute, leaves subsessile, linear lanceolate, en- 

 tire, smooth, whorls terminal, apliyllous, bracts ovate O 

 cordate, acuminate, reticulated, nearly smooth, colour- - 

 ed. In east Kentucky, in meadows and pastures- 

 Flowers purple as well as the bracts- 



PROPERTIES. The whole plant has a grateful 

 smell, somewhat similar to Dittany and Balm j much 

 stronger when bruised. The taste is pungent, warm, 

 bitterish, &c. It is resolvent, tonic, febrifuge, nervine, 

 sudorific, diuretic, antiseptic, carminative, aati-emetlc, 

 &c- It yields a strong aromatic and volatile oil, of an 

 amber colour, in which resides the properties j it con- 

 tains in solution a camphor of a citron colour. Schoepf 

 has long ago recommended this plant in intermittent 



D 



