Stachyt.] LVtl LABlAfA m 



Lower leaves long-stalked, ovate, deeply cordate ... . 3. S. sylvatica. 

 Leaves short-stalked or sessile, oblong or lanceolate, scarcely 



cordate 4. S. palustri*. 



Low, weak, or spreading annual, with small flowers . . . 6. t>. arvemns> 



The S. annua, Linn., a low, erect, south European annual, with yellow 

 flowers the size of those of S. palustris, has been inserted in some 

 British Floras, probably from having appeared among the weeds i/. 

 some cornfield. The S. coccinea, from Mexico, with red flowers, and a 

 few other exotic species, are occasionally cultivated in flower-gardens. 



1. S. Betonica, Benth. (fig. 800). Betony. A perennial, 1 to 2 feet 

 high, more or less downy or hairy, but not woolly. Leaves mostly 

 radical, oblong, coarsely crenate and cordate at the base ; the upper 

 ones few and distant, on short stalks or quite sessile, narrower, and not 

 cordate. Flowers in several dense whorls, collected in a close, ter- 

 minal, oblong head or spike, with an ovate or lanceolate bract under 

 each calyx. Calyx-teeth erect, very pointed, almost prickly. Tube of 

 the corolla considerably longer than the calyx ; the upper lip ovate, 

 erect, and slightly concave, about the length of the lower one. Anther- 

 cells more distinct and less divergent than in the -rest of the genus, or 

 almost parallel. Betonica officinalis, Linn. 



In woods and thickets, all over Europe and Russian Asia, except the 

 extreme north. Abundant in England, extending, but rarely, into the 

 counties of Scotland, and into southern Ireland. PL symmer. 



2. S. germanica, Linn, (fig. 801). Woundwort. An erect, branching 

 perennial, 1 to 3 feet high, remarkable for the long, whitish, silky hairs 

 which cover its stems and leaves, and especially the upper portion of 

 the plant and the calyxes. Leaves shortly stalked, oblong-ovate or 

 lanceolate, slightly cordate at the base, soft and silky. Flowers 

 numerous, in dense whorls or clusters, all distinct, the lower ones 

 sometimes rather distant, but all forming a ..long terminal spike, with 

 numerous small, narrow bracts, close under the flowers. Calyx-teeth 

 often almost prickly. Corolla-tube shorter than the calyx, the upper 

 lip very silky outside. 



In waste places, and on roadsides ; very common in central and 

 southern Europe and western Asia, where it is very variable. In 

 Britain it has appeared in some limestone districts of Hampshire, 

 Oxford, and Kent, but it is perhaps not indigenous. Fl. summer. 



3. S. sylvatica, Linn. (fig. 802). Hedge S. A green, coarsely hairy 

 perennial, with a disagreeable smell ; the rootstock emitting short, 

 thick, creeping scions ; the stem stout, erect, and branching, 2 to 4 feet 

 high. Leaves all stalked, rather large, ovate, cordate, and crenate. 

 Flowers in whorls of 6 to 10, distant from each other, forming long 

 terminal spikes, without any bracts except the floral leaves. Calyx- 

 teeth spreading and pointed, but not prickly. Corolla of a dark 

 reddish-purple, the tube longer than the calyx, the lower lip variegated 

 with white on the upper side. 



In ditches, on shady banks, and the edges of woods, throughout 

 Europe and Russian Asia, from the Caucasus and Altai to the Arctic 

 Circle. Very abundant all over Britain. Fl. summer. 



4. S. palustris, Linn. (fig. 803). Marsh S. Resembles S. sylvatic* 

 in its creeping rootstalk and tall, stout stems, but the hairs are shorter 

 and not so coarse, the smell is not so bad, and the leaves are much 



