CERTAIN CALIFORNIAN LAEIAT.E. 233 



except the very sparsely setulose-Iiairy leaf-margius: lowest 

 leaves oval or oblong, J inch long, on petioles of equal length, 

 coarsely toothed or somewhat lobed; cauline from lanceolate 

 to linear, sessile, revolute: flowers loosely racemose (1, 2 or 

 rarely 3 at each upper node), deep violet-purple, | inch long: 

 calyx-teeth lanceolate-subulate, twice the length of the tube; 

 corolla with compressed saccate tube as broad as long (^ 

 inch), the upper lip half the length of the lower, and paler; 

 filaments very sparsely hirsute below. 



Very common in grain-fields at Kniglit's Yalley, Sonoma 

 Co., Calif,, and in adjacent Lake and Marin counties. One 

 of the largest and most beautiful species of the genus, appar- 

 ently confused, hitherto, with the small and insignificant C 

 ^parsiflorUj the pale flowers of which are seldom a third as 

 large, the whole herbage finely puberulent, etc. 



Ox Certain Californian Labiat.i^. 



The most natural of the so-called Natural Families of 

 plants, such as the Umbelliferse, Criicifenn and Labiatpp, 

 though richly abounding in good species, have relatively few 

 imtural genera. I have heard that some recent writer upon 

 the Labiatje has raised more or less seriously the question 

 whether the whole family constitutes more than a single 

 genus. And, while no systematic botanist would be dis- 

 turbed by the suggestion, it can scarcely be doubted, that a 

 great many of our so-called genera of Labiates, are unnatural, 

 ^nd based upon very feeble marks of distinction; sucli as, in 

 less natural families, would scarcely establish subgeneric 

 g^'oups. 



Firmly believing this to be true, I suppose it may be 

 attributable to this, that our most voluminous authors (and 

 therefore the most respected authorities), have usually been 

 herbarium men, rather th:ui botanical travelers and observers, 



