the Briti/h Species of Mentha, 403 



make fuch a miflake, if thefe fpccimens did not prove it. Confc- 

 qucntly the article in queftion muil have been ftill involved in im- 

 i:ienetrable obfcurity without them. 



I have only to add, in conclufion of this account oi M.fativa y, 

 that Mr. Crowe and myfclf obfcrvcd upon Skoukon common, Nor- 

 folk, great plenty of a variety very clofely agreeing with this fwect- 

 fcented Ipccimen of Buddie, except in fmell, for ours has merely the 

 ufual fcent of M. fativa, nor hns culture in dry or wet ground altered 

 it. The figure and defcription of Jacquin's M. aujiriaca come very 

 near this. The leaves are occafionally of a dark fhining green, but 

 that is accidental. 



Perhaps fome apology is neceflary for the trivial name/ativa, as 

 applied to a Mint which is never cultivated. I can only fay the fpe- 

 cific names of Metitba in general are very bad and inexpreflive. 

 Few perfons would prefer verlicillata, the original denomination of 

 this plant in Linnxus. He feems to have been aware of its impro- 

 priety ; and the wrong fynonyms in Sp. Plant, which he copied 

 from the fpecimen fent him by Miller, belonging to the Mint 

 nfually called /?//W, and which is really cultivated in gardens, pro- 

 bably led him to adopt that name. I have more efpecially thought 

 it not worth altering, as the fpecies will perhaps not be kept dif- 

 tin6l from hirfuta. 



"8. Mentha acut'ifolia. 



Fragrant Jloarp-leaved Mint, 



M. floribus verticillatis, fdiis ovato-lanceolatis utrinque acutis, ca- 

 lyce undique hirfuto, pilis pedicellorum patentibus. 



Mentha verticillata. Mill. Di£i. ed. 8. n. 17. Herb. Miller . 



D d 2 M. ver- 



