MINTS. 109 
indeed no absolute limits exist between these two families, but 
usually the fruit of Labiatee is divided into four fruitlets, between 
which the style is inserted, whereas in Verbenacez the fruit is 
usually not lobed, the style thus arising from the summit of the 
ovary or fruit. The leaves of Labiatee are never alternate, mostly 
opposite, sometimes whorled. The stamens are less in number 
than the lobes of the corolla, consisting of one pair or more 
frequently of two unequal fertile pairs. The anthers are usually 
distinctly two-celled ; but the two cells may become confluent, or 
may in half of the stamens remain undeveloped or even be reduced 
to one cell in all anthers (in the exclusively Australian well 
named genus Hemiandra) ; each of the ovaries contains only one 
ovule, the seeds are without conspicuous albumen ; the radicle of 
the embryo is occupying a basal position. Myoporine in contrast 
have the leaves mostly scattered, the anthers always confluently 
one-celled, the fruits drupaceous and the radicle occupying a 
terminal position. Asperifolie (or Boraginee) mediate a transit 
to Labiate ; but their corolla is as a rule regularly 5-lobed and 
bears five equal fertile stamens, while the radicle is terminal. 
The other orders, mentioned as bearing corollas of a form similar 
to that of Labiatz, are all easily distnguished by the structure 
of their fruits, irrespective of the usually numerous seeds. The 
gay South American Verbena chameedrifolia may be gathered in 
any garden. Our common Vervain (Verbena officinalis), is 
identical with that of Europe. Our only Mangrove-tree (Avicen- 
nia officinalis), which may be seen on muddy inlets, washed by 
high tides, is also a verbenaceous plant, however externally dis- 
similar in appearance to other plants of this order, with which we 
may become acquainted in gardens. It bears the name of a 
Persian physician and Vezir, who wrote more than eight hundred 
years ago on medicinal plants. 
The order of Labiate is a large one; it contains over 2,000 
species, distributed over all zones. The number of the truly 
indigenous Victorian coordinal plants is limited to thirty, but 
besides several Huropean weeds of this family have found their 
way copiously tous. Prostanthera is the genus, most largely 
represented in our colony, nearly half of our Labiate being 
