476 XCAIII. LABIATE. 



flowers, occasionally though uot very successfully, grown in gardens in 

 the plains. Firminger (Man. Gard. ed. 2, p. 162) says that the plants 

 are with difficulty kept alive through a single hot season. Fl. B. 1. v. 4, 

 p. 649 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 361 ; Watt, 

 Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 6, part 4, p. 48. 



Mentlia viridis, Linn. Sp. PI. ed. 2 (1763) p. 804. The commou 

 Green Mint or Sj)earmint. A well-known herb growing about 2 ft. high 

 with subsessile ovate-lanceolate serrate glabrous leaves and purplish 

 flowers, commonly grown in gardens throughout the plains of India. 

 Fl. B. I. V. 4, p. 647 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 361 ; 

 "Watt, Diet. Econ. Prcd. v. 5, p. 231.— Vern. Padina. 



Mentlia arvensis, Liuu. Sp. PI. (1753) p. 577. The Marsh Mint. A 

 herb of the W. Himalaya, very common in Indian gardens, with ovate 

 acute serrate leaves. Fl. B. I. v. 4, p. 648 ; Grab. Cat. p. 151 ; Dalz. 

 & Gibs. Suppl. p. 68 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 361 ; 

 AVatt, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 5, p. 228. — Yern. Pudina. 



Mentha piperita, Linn. Sp. PI. (1753) p. 576. Peppermint. A. herb 

 1-2 ft. high with a reddish branched stem, ovate-oblong petiolate leaves, 

 and purple flowers in short obtuse loose spikes, grown sometimes in 

 gardens. Fl. B. I. v. 4, p. 647 ; Woodr, in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 

 (1899) p. 361 ; Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 5, p. 229. 



Idyptis suaveolens, Poit. in Ann. Mus. Par. v. 7 (1806) p. 472, t. 29, 

 fig. 2. A rigid erect ainiual 2-3 ft. high, a native of Tropical America 

 and the W. Indies, with petiolate ovate (or the lower cordate) serrate 

 leaves and blue flowers, is grown in gardens or sometimes found as an 

 escape. Fl. B. I. v. 4, p. (330 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 

 (1899) p. 361 ; Prain, Beng. PL p. 848. 



Order XCIX. PLANTAGINACEffi. 



Scapigerous annual or perennial herbs. Leaves usually radical. 

 Scapes axillary. Flowers small, greenish, spicate, often dimorphic, 

 bracteate. Sopals 4, imbricate in bud, persistent. Corolla scarious, 

 hypogynous; lobes 4, short, imbricate in bud. Stamens 4, inserted on 

 the corolla-tube; filaments filiform, persistent ; anthers large, pendulous, 

 versatile. Ovary superior, 1-4-celled ; ovules 1-8 in each cell. Cap- 

 sule 1-4-celled, circumscissilely dehiscent, membranous, 1- or more- 

 seeded. Seed usually attached by the centre ; testa thin, mucilaginous ; 

 albumen fleshy; embryo cyliudric, transverse; radicle inferior. — 

 DiSTRiB. Genera 3; species scarcely 100. 



1. PLANTAGO, Linn. 



Characters of the Order. 



Corolla-lobes glabrous. 



Cells of capMile 4-(S-soc(lecI 1 . P. major. 



Cells of cupsiile 1-2-seedctl. 

 Corollii-lobes acute. 



Leaves usually G-rerved, slioi-lly peiiolate; braets 



acute, shorter lliaii the eahx 2. P. Slorh&ii. 



