LABIATE. XL1X. MELISSA. 



783 



16 M. UMBROSA (Bieb. fl. cauc. 2. p. 6.3. but not of German 

 authors) plant herbaceous, diffuse, pubescent or villous ; leaves 

 petiolate, ovate, serrately crenated, rounded at the base ; whorls 

 equal, globose, many-flowered ; bracteas minute, or the outer 

 ones are subulate, one half shorter than the calyxes. !. H. 

 Native of Iberia, in woods ; Caucasus, on the Talusch moun- 

 tains ; Himalaya, Wall. Royle ; mountains in the Peninsula of 

 India, Wight ; Ceylon, Walker ; Cashmere, Jacquemont. Cli- 

 nopodium repens, /3, Benth. in Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 1. p. 66. 

 Stems procumbent, creeping at the base. Leaves scarcely an 

 inch long. Whorls 20-40- flowered. Corolla purplish, scarcely 

 half as long again as the calyx. 



Shaded Wild Basil. PI. procumbent. 



17 M. RE'HENS (Benth. lab. p. 392.) herbaceous, diffuse, 

 rooting at the base, pubescent or villous ; leaves petiolate, 

 ovate, obtuse, serrately crenated, rounded at the base ; whorls 

 equal, globose, many-flowered ; bracteas subulate, numerous, 

 equalling the calyxes. If. . H. Native of Nipaul. Clinopo- 

 dium repens, a, Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 1. p. 66. Thymus repens, 

 D. Don, prod. fl. nep. p. 113. Habit of M. umbrdsa. Brac- 

 teas more dense, and more hairy, ciliated. Corolla purplish. 



Creeping Balm. PI. procumbent. 



18 M. ORIGANIFOLIA (Benth. lab. p. 392.) suffruticose ; stems 

 ascending, branched, hispid ; leaves ovate, quite entire, hispid ; 

 whorls nearly sessile : lower ones on long peduncles, emulating 

 branches ; bracteas linear-lanceolate, hispid, scarcely longer 

 than the calyxes. T? . H. Native of Mount Lebanon. Clino- 

 podium origanifolium, Labill. pi. syr. dec. 4. p. 14. t. 9. Co- 

 rolla rather hairy, purplish. ? 



Marjoram- leaved Balm. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1825. Shrub 

 ] 1 foot. ' 



19 M. CLINOPODIUM (Benth. lab. p. 392.) herbaceous, erect, 

 villous ; leaves petiolate, ovate, obtuse, crenated a little, round- 

 ed at the base ; whorls equal, globose, many-flowered ; bracteas 

 subulate, numerous, equalling the calyxes. Tj.. H. Native 

 throughout Europe and Middle Asia, in woods, hedges, and by 

 waysides ; from Scotland and Sweden to Spain, Sicily, Greece, 

 and Caucasus ; and North America ; but probably introduced 

 from Europe to the latter country. Clinopodium vulgare, 

 Lin. spec. p. 821. Smith, engl. hot. t. 1401. Clinopodium 

 .<Egyptiacum, Lam. diet. 2. p. 50. Mill. diet. no. 6. fig. t. 95. 

 Clinopodium atropurpureum, and C. variegatum, Hortul. Cli- 

 nopodium plumosum, Sieb. in bot. zeit. 1822. t. 242.? Thymus 

 sylvaticus, Bernh. ex Steud. nom. p. 208. Riv. mon. irr. t. 43. 

 Sabb. hort. rom. 3. t. 65, 66. Mor. hist. sect. II. t. 8. f. ]. 

 Stems simple, or a little branched. Leaves peliolate, 1-2 inches 

 long, pale or canescent beneath, with entire or obscurely crenu- 

 lated margins : floral ones smaller, sessile. Calyxes and brac- 

 teas very pilose. Corolla twice as long as the calyx, bright 

 red. 



Bed-foot or Common Wild Basil. Fl. June, Aug. Britain. 

 PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



SECT. V. MELIPHY'LLUM (from /itXt, meli, honey ; and <pv\- 

 \ov, phyllon, a leaf; so called from the sweet-scented leaves.) 

 Benth. lab. p. 393. Melissa, Lin. and other authors. Whorls 

 few-flowered, rather loose, secund. Bracteas few, usually ovate. 

 Calyx scarcely gibbous at the base, spreading ; upper lip almost 

 glabrous ; throat naked inside, or villous. Corolla white or 

 yellowish : tube recurvedly ascending. 



20 M. OFFICINA'LIS (Lin. spec. 827.) herbaceous, erect, 

 branched ; leaves broad-ovate, crenated, truncate at the base, or 

 cordate; floral leaves almost similar to the cauline leaves; whorls 

 axillary, loose, secund; bracteas few, ovate; corolla a half again 

 as long as the calyx. I/. H. Native of the South of Europe 



and Middle Asia, in mountain woods ; as of Portugal, Spain, 

 South of France, Italy, Sicily, Greece, about Aleppo, Tauria, 

 Iberia, and Caucasus. Woodv. med. bot. t. 147. M. graveo- 

 lens, Host, fl. austr. 2. p. 128. M. foliosa, Opiz, ex Rchb. fl. 

 germ. exc. p. 329. M. occidentalis, Rafin. M. Corsica, Host. 

 Sabb. hort. rom. 3. t. 61. Blackw. herb. t. 27. Lob. icon. 

 t. 277. Plant very variable in hairiness, size, form, and bases - 

 of leaves, and length of corollas. Leaves from J to 2-3 inches 

 long, those of the stems and sterile branches truncate or cordate 

 at the base : upper floral and rameal ones smaller, rounded or 

 cuneated at the base, all obtuse, or the upper ones are acute, 

 more or less villous on both surfaces. Whorls distant. Cymes 

 distinct, 3-6-flowered. Corolla white or pale yellow, twice as 

 long as the calyx. 



Balm, in its recent state, has a weak, roughish, aromatic 

 taste, and a pleasant smell, somewhat of the lemon kind. It is 

 now little used, unless for making a simple balm tea, which 

 affords a grateful diluent drink in fevers, and for forming a light 

 agreeable beverage, under the name of balm wine. Anciently it 

 was generally recommended in hypochondriacal affections, and 

 by Paracelsus promised a complete renovation of man. From 

 the fondness of bees for this plant, it was named Apidttrum, 

 Melissa, Melissophyllum ; and was directed by the ancients, 

 among other herbs, to be rubbed upon the hive, to render it 

 agreeable to the swarm. 



Var. /3, villbsa (Benth. lab. p. 393.) leaves shorter ; plant 

 more villous; odour disagreeable, y.. H. Native of Italy, 

 about Rome, Greece, &c. M. Romana, Mill. diet. no. 2. M. 

 hirsuta, Balb. M. cordifolia, Pers. ench. 2. p. 132. M. Tau- 

 rica, Hortul. M. altissima, Sibth. et Smith, fl. graec. 6. p. 63. 

 t. 579. Corollas white, smaller than those of the species. 



Officinal or Common Balm. Fl. June, Oct. Clt. 1573. PI. 

 2 to 4 feet. 



21 M. HIRSU'TA (Blum, bijdr. p. 830.) heads verticillate, ax- 

 illary ; leaves ovate-oblong, bluntly serrated, and are, as well as 

 the calyxes, hairy. If. . H. Native of Java, on the top of 

 Mount Tjerimai, in the province of Cheribon. Allied to M. offi- 

 cinalis. 



Hairy Balm. PI. 2 to 3 feet. ? 



22 M. I-ARVIFLORA (Benth. in Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 1. p. 65. 

 lab. p. 394.) herbaceous, erect, nearly glabrous ; leaves ovate 

 or ovate-lanceolate, acute, somewhat serrated, rounded at the 

 base or cuneated ; floral leaves similar to the others ; whorls ax- 

 illary, loose, secund ; bracteas few, small, oblong-linear ; co- 

 rollas scarcely longer than the calyxes. 1J..H. Native of Nipaul 

 and Kamaon, Wall. ; DeyraDhoun, Royle. Scutellaria Japonica, 

 Burm. fl. ind. p. 130. Geniosporum axillare, Benth. in Wall. 

 pi. asiat. rar. 2. p. 18. This has the character of M. officinalis, 

 but the habit is very different. The whole plant is purplish and 

 glabrous, except a few hairs on the angles of the stem and nerves 

 of the leaves. Leaves hardly an inch long. Inflorescence of 

 M. officinalis. Corollas blue, hardly exserted. 



Small-Jlorvered Balm. PI. 



23 M. FLA'VA (Benth. in Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 1. p. 65. lab. p. 

 394.) herbaceous, erect, nearly glabrous ; leaves ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute, serrately crenated, rounded at the base ; floral 

 leaves similar to the rest ; whorls axillary, loose, secund ; brac- 

 teas few, oblong-linear ; corolla about thrice as long as the ca- 

 lyx. If. . H. Native of Nipaul, Wall. Habit of M. parci- 



Jlora. Calyxes coloured at top. Corolla yellow, incurvedly 

 ascending. 



Yellow-dowered Balm. PI. ? 



SECT. VI. MACROMELI'SSA (from fiatcpoy, macros, long ; and 

 Ht\maa, melissa, balm ; so called in reference to the long co- 

 rollas.) Benth. lab. p. 394. W'horls very loose, usually few- 



