124 I-l.OWERS OK LAKES, RIVI-.RS, ETC. 



A fundus, Pitcciiiia )>U)itlia\ Mini Rust, attacks the leaves. Five 

 beetles, Meligctlws vidiiatus, M. lugiibris, M. obsciirns, Chryso»ic/a 

 uioithastri. C. po/ita\ two moths, I'yraiista purpitnilis (Crimson and 

 ("lolcl Moth), Nola albula/is; a Heteroptcrous insect, Zicroua cceriilca; 

 and liiipteryx vittahii, a 1 lonioptt-roiis insect, teed on ii. 



A/ctif/ia, Theophrastus, is from the Greek ninitlia or viiii/Zic; 

 Mintha, a nymph, being transformed into this plant by Proser[)ine. 

 The second name refers to the aquatic habitat. It is called Bishop's 

 Weed, Bishop's Wort. I'ish .Mint, Baulme Mint. It smells strongly 

 of peppermint, and an oil is expressed fn)ni this and other species 

 for the manufacture of it. 



EssENTi.\L Specific Ch.\r.\cteks: — 



246. Mentha cKjuatica, L. — Stem erect, with sulnerranean stole.s, 

 hirsute, leaves ovate, .serrate, the upper ones less than the (lowers, 

 flowers lilac, axillary, and terminal, subgloljose. 



Gipsywort (Lycopus europ;eus. L.) 



Gipsywort being a paludal plant is f'ound in Preglacial beds in 

 Norfolk and .Suffolk; Interglacial, late Glacial beds, in .Suffolk; and 

 Neolithic beds. Its distribution lies in the Temperate regions in 

 Europe, N. Africa, Siberia, W. Asia, as far east as India, X. .America, 

 Australia. It is thus a cosmopolitan species. In Great ISritain it does 

 not occur in Berwick, Haddington, Edinburgh, X. Perth, borlar, 

 N. Aberdeen, Banff, Dumbarton, N. Ebudes, Sutherland, Caithness, 

 Northern I.sles, or Brecon, Radnor, Montgomery, Merioneth, W ig- 

 town, Peebles, .Selkirk, Mull, W. Ross. From Ross it ranges to the 

 S. coast. It is rare in Scotland, c(Mnmoner in Ireland. 



There is scarcely a ditch or wet place where one may not come 

 across Gipsywort in the summer, for it is a common hygrophilous 

 plant, frequenting the sides of .streams, brooks, and ri\ers, as well as 

 the still waters of ponds, pools, and lakes, along with Bur-reed, Bul- 

 rush, and reeds. 



The square, erect stem is more or less simple, with egg-shaped, 

 coarsely toothed, veined leaves, opposite, acute, likened to a wolf's foot 

 li\ Linna;us, hence the first Greek name. The stem is roughly hairy 

 and bears opposite branches. The flowers are small, white, in whorls, 

 close, with ;i tubular, stiftlx hairv cal\x. with awl-shaped segments. 

 The corolla is a cylindrical tube with a short limb, with 4 blunt, .softly 

 and loosely hairy segments. The nutlets equal the tube of the caly.x, 

 and are brown and polished. Phere are only 2 stamens. Gipsywort 



