226 LABIATE. 



good Bishop Mant only thought it negatively pleasant. He 

 says 



" And there, "with whorls encircling grand 

 Of white and purple-tinted red, 

 The harmless Nettle's helmed head ; 

 Less apt with fragrance to delight 

 The smell than please the curious sight." 



I suppose he uses the term "purple-tinted red" with re- 

 ference to the Red Dead fettle, which abounds as a weed in 

 gardens. ^JtS-^ 'pf &&-* / /y7U--<-~- /5$/. 



A fallow field near Leamington supplied me with the Cut- 

 leaved Dead Nettle (L. incisum), which I afterwards found in 

 waste places near Ross ; it differs from the Red species in having 

 its leaves more deeply serrated, and in having the stem bare 

 from the root to the top, where leaves and flowers grow in a 

 crowded style ; and the Henbit Dead Nettle (L. amplexicaule), 

 which, when it opens its flowers at all, which it seldom does, 

 shows small bright blooms. Its leaves clasp the stem. 



The Spotted Dead Nettle (L. maculatum), has crimson flowers 

 prettily spotted, and nearly as large as those of the White Dead 

 Nettle. It is really handsome, and grows about Clevedon and 

 Yatton, in Somersetshire. 



The Betony family is the next in order. 



There is but one British member of the family, the Wood 

 Betony (Betonica officinalis). The flowers are crimson, and the 

 spike is interrupted ; the leaves oval and notched. They are 

 very frequently infested by a tiny fungus, which dots all over 

 the back of the leaf like Fern seed. This plant used to be 

 thought highly medicinal a kind of universal cure : it was a 

 common saying, "May you have as many virtues as Betony." 

 The plant, if eaten fresh, will produce intoxication. 



The Woundwort family numbers five species. 



The Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), is common. The 

 flowers are maroon, six in a whorl. The leaves are rough and 

 heart-shaped. The whole plant has an unpleasant smell ; it 

 grows three feet high. I have gathered it frequently in hedges 



