218 



WEEDS OF THE FARM AND GARDEN 



late with tapering base and but slightly toothed mar- 

 gins; spikes few; flowers purple. In sandy fields, 

 especially southward and as far north as Minnesota. The 

 white vervain (V . urticaefolia) is a minutely pubescent 

 perennial from three to six feet high; leaves oval; flow- 

 ers white in slender spikes. 



Mint Family (Labiatae). A few shrubs and trees, but 

 chiefly aromatic herbs, with square stems ; opposite leaves 

 without stipules; flowers with cymose in- 

 florescence ; perfect, irregular, more or less 

 two-lipped, the upper lip three-lobed, the 

 lower two-lobed or entire; calyx five- 

 toothed or five-lobed ; corolla four to five- 

 lobed, commonly two-lipped, upper two- 

 lipped or entire, lower usually three-lobed ; 

 stamens borne on the corolla tube ; ovary 

 superior, deeply four-lobed or four-parted, 

 in fruit forming four small seedlike nutlets 

 or achenes surrounded by the persistent 

 calyx; usually exalbuminous or some with 

 albumen. A large order of about 3,000 

 species of very wide distribution. 



Germander or Wood Sage (Teucrium 

 canadense, L.). A downy, erect perennial 



one to three feet high, with lanceolate to 

 rig. 137. 



Hoary vervain ovate-lanceolate leaves, serrate, rounded at 

 (Verbena the base, short petioled, and hoary under- 

 neath ; flowers in spikes ; calyx five- 

 toothed; corolla five-lobed, upper lobes nearly equal, 

 the lower lobe larger, all pale purple or rose color; 

 stamens four, exserted. Common in fields, especially in 

 low grounds from New England to Manitoba and Texas ; 

 abundant in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. Another 

 species (T. occidentale) has viscid hairs on the calyx and 

 flowers somewhat darker in color than the preceding. 

 Common in low grounds in Iowa and Nebraska and is 



