MENTHACEAE. 317 



8. MICROMERIA Benth. 



Erect branching or trailing perennial aromatic herbs, 

 with small pedicelled flowers solitary in the axils of the 

 leaves. Calyx oblong or tubular, about equally 5-toothed 

 and 12-15-nerved. Corolla distinctly bilabiate, naked 

 within, upper lip erect, entire or emarginate; the lower 

 spreading, 3-parted. Stamens 4; filaments arcuate- 

 ascending; the upper pair longer; anthers 2-celled. 



1. M. chamissonis (Benth.) Greene. (Yerba Buena.) Stems 

 slender, trailing or creeping, 3 dm. long or more, herbage slightly 

 pubescent; leaves round-ovate, crenate, glandular-punctate, 2.5 cm. 

 long or less; petioles 4-6 mm. long; flowers about 8 mm. long; calyx 

 minutely hispidulous; corolla pubescent without. {M. douglasii 

 Benth.) 



Santa Monica Mountains in shady places, not common. May- 

 June. 



9. MONARDELLA Benth. 



Annual or perennial aromatic herbs, with flowers in 

 terminal heads which are subtended by broad often 

 more or less colored involucral bracts. Calyx tubular, 

 narrow, 5-toothed, 15-nerved. Corolla glabrous within, 

 the upper lip erect, 2-cleft, the lower 3-parted, all the 

 lobes linear or narrowly oblong. Stamens 4, distinct, 

 strongly or moderately unequal, exserted, straight; an- 

 thers often divergent or divaricate. 



Perennials. 



Leaves similar on both surfaces. 



Herbage cinereous with short dense villous- 



like tomentum. 

 Herbage glaucous green or silvery with a 

 minute puberulence. 

 Leaves densely hoary tomentose beneath, 

 glabrous and dark green above. 

 Annuals. 



Bracts obtuse or acute. 

 Bracts abruptly acuminate. 

 Calyx and bracts villous. 

 Calyx and bracts short-pubescent. 



L M. cinerea Abrams. Stem slightly woody at base, freely 

 branching, branches spreading, 1 dm. or less in length, cinereous; 

 leaves sessile, 5 to 8 mm. long, broadly ovate-triangular, obtuse at 

 apex, abruptly rounded at base, denticulate, cinereous on both 

 surfaces with soft villous tomentum, lateral veins in 2 pairs; floral 

 pair of leaves similar, closely subtending heads; bracts broadly 

 ovate, acute or obtuse, 8 mm. long, purple, faintly veined, sparsely 



