WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 



stimulant, and for relieving cramps and sick stomachs, 

 which children are prone to experience. It has a pleas- 

 ant taste, and there is no harm in nibbling its leaves as 

 we do those of the Wintergreen. The erect and very 

 slender, leafy stalk of this annual herb is branching and 

 hairy, and grows from six to eighteen inches high in 

 dry, grassy fields and pastures. The small, strongly 

 scented leaves are somewhat egg-shaped, tapering 

 at the base into short stems, and their margins are 

 scantily toothed. They occur in alternating, opposite 

 pairs, which graduate in size as they mount the square 

 stalk. The tiny, two-lipped, tubular, purple flowers 

 are gathered in the axils of the leaves, and form 

 long, slender, terminal spikes. The erect, upper lip is 

 usually flat and notched, and the lower one is three- 

 lobed and spreading. It is found from July to Septem- 

 ber, from Canada to Florida, and westward to Nebraska 

 and the Dakotas. 



SPEARMINT. SAGE OF BETHLEHEM. 

 GARDEN MINT 



Mentha spicata. Mint Family. 



We have inherited nearly all of our Mints from 

 Europe. Their strongest family traits consist of square 

 stems, and opposite, simple, and odorous leaves. They 

 are perennial herbs, with usually small-clustered, tubular 

 flowers. The Spearmint grows commonly in wet 

 places near cultivated grounds, where it has escaped 

 from gardens, and may be found in blossom from July 

 to September. This generally smooth, erect, and 



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