the Brhijh Specks of Mentha. 215 



mod part clothed with a few fcattered hairs, rather pointing down- 

 wards, mofl numerous about the upper half of the ftalk. The fpe- 

 cimen in the ClifFortian herbarium, referring to n. 5 of Hurt. Cliff'. 

 has the flower-flialks more hairy than ufual. Another in the fame 

 coUedtion, which I have cited above, has them nearly fmooth. 



My 2d variety /3, Mr. Sole's third, differs very little indeed from 

 the common one, except in being rather larger, from its fituation in 

 wet meadows. The (lamina in bo^h are for the mod: part lonc^er 

 than the corolla. Mr. Sole's 2d variety I have not feen. He de- 

 fcribes it with a reddilh upright flcm, narrow leaves, and a pleafant 

 fmell. 



y flowers earlier than the common kind, and has a more {hlning 

 furface, though clothed with fhort hairs. The leaves alfo are more 

 recurved and elHptical. In fmell I can find no difference, nor can I 

 difcover any thing on which to found a fpecific diflin6lion. The 

 ftamina being fliorter than the corolla cannot be thought fufKcient. 



cT I know only by the original fpecimen in my pofTefTion, gathered 

 by Dale, and defcribcd by Miller as gmtilis. I have never itzw it 

 living. The fpecimen in Buddie's herbarium differs only in having 

 the bafe of the calyx perfe6lly fmooth, whereas in mine that part 

 is all over hairy. The leaves are (horter and broader than in com- 

 mon aivenjis, but no other difference is difcernible. The fcent of 

 Bafil, which Dale attributes to it, can only mark it as a variety. — ■ 

 I think there is the greattfl probabihty of this being Mr. Vernon's 

 aromatic mint mentioned in Ray's Synopfs ; but having feen no ori- 

 ginal fpecimens, I quote it with hefitation. In Buddie's herbarium 

 is a fpecimen of M.faiiva y, with rounder and fhortcr leaves than 

 ufual, found in 1710 by the Thames' fide near the Neat-houfes, 

 Chelfea, by himfelf in company with Mr. Rand, which he fays tliey 

 agreed to be Vernon's plant. Hence it appears that plant was even 



then 



