THE SAGE FAMILY. 



243 



plainly visible under the microscope, and of different colours in 

 different species, green or yellow being the most usual. It is through 

 the crushing of these little bags of liquid perfume, and the escape of 

 the contents, that the fingers become fragrant after rubbing the 

 foliage of such as the bergamot ) Flowers clustered in the axils of 

 the leaves, usually sessile and very numerous, whence it appears as if 

 they were whorled. Sometimes, instead of being axillary in the main 

 foliage of the plant, they stand in many little rings in the axils of 

 bracteas at the upper extremity of the stem, foi-ming loose open spikes 

 or pyramids, that taper off nearly to a point. (Fig. 147.) If the upper 

 part of the plant be much branched, the inflorescence assumes the 



Fig. 150. 

 White Dead-nettle. 



figure of a panicle, as happens in the germander. When axillary in 

 the main foliage, the clusters are often so dense as to form convex and 

 nearly solid rosettes, the stem rising through the centre ; and if the 

 corollas be large and hooded, as in the yellow dead-nettle, they form 

 a little verandah, running all round the stem. Occasionally the 

 flowers grow in axillary pairs, and there are instances where they are 

 axillary and solitary. The calyx is tubular, often ribbed, either mth 

 two lips or five pointed teeth. The corolla is usually very irregular, 

 more or less mouth-shaped, and deeply cleft (Fig. 149), the upper lip 

 often very large, and either flat, or arched and concave, sometimes 



16 a 



