172 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



anthers ripen simultaneously. Honey, protected 

 above by hairs, is secreted at the base of the ovary. 

 In the Vervain group are many plants that are 

 fragrant, as Verbena or the Lemon plant, or aromatic, 

 some being considered medicinal. The Vervain was 

 considered to be a holy plant and was used in witch- 

 craft. Teak, Tectona, is a valuable timber tree, being 

 very hard and attaining a height of 200 ft. It con- 

 tains particles of silica. 



Vervain {Verbena officinalis). 



Held in great esteem formerly from some exag- 

 gerated notion as to its homoeopathic properties 

 (hence officinalis), Vervain, no doubt, like other 

 " herbs," owes its existence in most of its stations 

 to-day to this circumstance. 



The word Verbenas denoted sacred boughs or 

 branches used in religious ceremonials, and is possibly 

 a contraction of hiera and botane, sacred plant. 

 Pliny in writing of the names Sagmen and Verbena, 

 says, *' These two names no doubt originally signified 

 the same thing — a green turf torn up from the citadel, 

 with the earth attached to it and hence, when envoys 

 were despatched to the enemy for the purpose of 

 clarigation or, in other words, with the object of 

 clearly demanding restitution of property that had 

 been carried off, one of these officers was always 

 known as the verbenarius." 



Generally distributed in England and found in 



