jg6 Dr, SfAiTnh ObJervutioTU on 



Under the firft variety of this fpecies I comprehend every thing 

 that has been taken in England, and indeed moft other countries, 

 for M. aquatica and M. hirfuta of Linnaeus; the editor of Fl. Dan. 

 t. 638 being not lefs fmgular in naming it. Origanum vulgare, than he: 

 is in ca'Jing Bullota iitgra, t. 673, Mentha aquatica. It varies greatly 

 in luxuriance, degree of hairineis, and colour of the ftem and foliage ; 

 but every difF%ience in thefe refpecls is fo manlfeftly owing to a 

 greater or lefs degree of moifture, oi- of expofure to light, that 

 among all the fynonyms I have quoted, I can find no difl:in£tion 

 permanent or intelligible enough to charafteriz'e even a- feparate. 

 variety, much Icfs a fpecies. What I have marked p, is fo diflin- 

 guiflied only in deference to Dillenius, and more with refpeft to the 

 fweet fmell he attributes to it, than to any thing in its form. I 

 have not been fo fortunate as to find, this variety in any old herba- 

 rium, as has been already obfervcd under M. odorata. 



y differs but little in form from the common M. hirfuta, except 

 in being rather more flender, of. a paler hue, and the leaves forae- 

 what lefs hairy. Its principal difference confifts in its Pepper-mint 

 flavour. This is the M. piperita of Linnaeus and Bergius, cultivated 

 in the north of Europe for Pepper-mint. Linnasus's fpecimen is 

 from the Upfal garden, and has the flavour of our M piperita.vtry 

 ftrong. This circuqaftance ■ led him to confider it as the plant of 

 Ray and Dillenius. I have feen Britilh fpecimens exactly agreeing 

 with it in appearance, but do not recolle£l to have found the fame 

 flavour in any wild one. If the M. aquatica five S'ifymbrium of John 

 Bauhln be not our M. piperita ^^ it is X.\\\% piperita of Linnaeus ; but 

 that point mufl remain in doubt, for want of a defcription of the 

 calyx. In this variety the {lamina are fhorter than the corolla, at 

 leafl in the Linnasan fpecimen ; in a. and j8 they are longer. 



J' is a very curious variety, for I cannot confider it as a fpecies, 



though 



