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HE family to which belong Mint and 
Thyme includes such well-known 
plants as Sage, Woundwort, Balm, 
Dead - nettle, and Bugle. The 
flowers of this family (Labiate) 
resemble some forms of the 
Foxglove family — especially the Rattles, Louse- 
worts, and other root-parasites, but from those the 
Labiates are readily distinguished by the characters 
of the fruit. In the foregoing family the seeds were 
small and numerous, contained in a capsule; but in 
the Labiates there is no capsule, the fruit consisting 
of four or less nutlets, each containing a single seed. 
Another difference in the two families is found in the 
properties of the plants. Those of the Foxglove 
family, though often very ornamental, include very 
few of a useful character and some that are highly 
poisonous, whereas the Labiates are for the most part 
of use as kitchen herbs, or on account of their 
aromatic properties, due to the presence of essential 
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