218 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



CXX,-^LABIAT^, 



This is the last of the large orders of Corolliflorae we have to consider, and though the 

 largest and perhaps the most difficult is, I believe I may safely venture to add, the best known. 

 For this perfect acquaintance with a family so extensive, and at the same time so exceedingly 

 natural, that in many cases it is almost impossible to define the limits of either its genera or 

 species, we are indebted to the untiring labours of Mr. George Bentham, probably the most 

 accomplished and indefatigable of living Botanists, who has, for nearly 20 years, been studying 

 this order and, from year to year, as opportunities offered, amending his previous labours. In 

 1830 his first paper on the Indian Lahiatce was published in Dr. Wallich"'s great work, "Plantae 

 Asiatiege Rariores.'' This was followed by the publication, between 1832 and 1836, of his 

 Monograph of the order, including 1714 species ; and lastly, in 1848, by his revision of the whole 

 of his past labours on this family in the article Lahiatce of De CandoUe's Prodromus, occupying 

 580 pages of that closely printed work, truly a great work though forming but a small portion 

 of his numerous contributions towards the advancement of Botanical Science, among which may 



riacece, another great family which he has long and carefully studied. 



Monograph 



The order having been so admirably elaborated, it only remains for me to endeavour, to the 

 best of my abilities, to give a summary, I fear a very imperfect one, of his labours, and recom- 

 mending those desirous of acquiring a more perfect acquaintance with it to apply to the 

 originals. 



A species of this order is for the most part known at first sight, if in flower, by its general 



aspect. The stem is 4-angled ; the leaves are in opposite pairs ; the flowers form clusters in the 



axils of the leaves or have the appearance of a ring embracing the stem ; looked at a little 



more closely, the calyx is found to be tubular and variously toothed on the margin : the corolla 



monopetalous, generally two-lipped with 2, or 4 unequal stamens, and on the removal of the 



corolla is seen, seated in a fleshy variously lobed gynophore in the bottom of the calyx, the 



4-lobed ovary and, springing from the middle, a filiform style ending in a bifid stigma. 



The ovary, when cut across, is seen to consist of 4 distinct cells with a single erect 

 ovule in each. 



It may be assumed from this description, in which every thing seems in pairs— opposite 

 leaves, 2-lipped corolla, 2 or 4 stamens and 4-lobed ovary— that it essentially is what is called a 

 tetramerous family, and yet such is not the case. The calyx, when analyzed, evidently consists 

 ot 6 united sepals, the corolla, in like manner, can be shown to be made up of the union of 

 6 petals, and often 5 stamens, one imperfect, are developed ; showing clearly that, as in most of 

 the other corolliflorous orders we have been considering, they are pentamerous. The structure 

 ot the gynaecium, or female organization, does not seem quite so clear. Regarding it, Mr. 

 ^entham remarks, "For though monstrous flowers in Sideritis canariensis, Coleus aromaticus, 

 .^alma cntica, &c have shown that the normal number of carpellary leaves forming it is five, 

 yet m the habitual state of the Labiatae this number is constantly reduced to two, which are 

 placed lore and att. I have quoted this passage for the purpose of remarking that, it seems 

 to me to present a kind of non sequetur in our botanical logic. It is customary to assume 

 that whatever parts are developed in an ovary, In a state of monstrosity, must be pre-existeut 

 and normal, notwithstanding something very different is, m the healthy condition, always 

 developed In this particular case it is stated that two carpels is the healthy condition of the 

 p an but that occasionally, m monsters, 5 are produced; ergo, 5 is the normal number, and the 

 all but constantly present 2, abnormal. On opposite leaved plants, verticels of 3 or 4, or more 

 TXlrXTt ""* °^^^^t»'°"l«tates, met with ; would it in such cases be considered sound logic 

 normal s^tn^^^^f '" ^""t .^^^^^pI^^.^^^^Is did occur that therefore whorld leaves was the 

 We dailv se. nl : "1' ""'''^^1" ^^^ individual, but in the whole family to which it belongs ? 

 Wal toinfLfrn'r T'" ^^\tj^f'^^^\ P^rts both of excess and deficiency, would it be 



of^an ll^lT IrZTt aT' ^^^^ ^^''?: °."^? P^^^^^^^d ^^^ "^^"^^1 f»rm ? I have seen cases 

 ! I\ !n ^ 'L ': .* "!' ^°^, ^"^^^^' ^«^ld. it>e safe to infer from such that two thumbs on 



human 



