MINT FAMILY. 247 



4. 6CIMTJM, SWEET BASIL. (Greek name, referring to the odor, the 

 herbage sweet-scented.) 



O. Basilicum, SWEET BASIL. Low sweet-herb, of kitchen-gardens, from 

 India, with ovate somewhat toothed leaves, ciliate petioles and calyx, and bluish- 

 white racemed flowers, in summer. (T) 



5. COLEUS. (Name from the Greek word for sheath, alluding to the mona- 

 delphous stamens.) 



C. Bllimei, of Java, especially its var. VKKSCHAFFELTII, the showy spe- 

 cies of ornamental grounds in summer, planted for its richly-colored ovate pointed 

 and coarsely toothed leaves, cither blotched with crimson or bronze-red, or almost 

 wholly colored ; the inconspicuous flowers blue or bluish and racemed. 



6. HYPTIS. (From a Greek word meaning reversed.} Fl. late summer. 

 H. radiata. Low ground, North Carolina & S. : stem? 2 -4 high; 



leaves lance-ovate, toothed ; flowers white or purple-dotted, small, crowded in 

 peduncled whitish-involucrate heads. ^ 



7. LAVANDULA, LAVENDER. (From Latin lavo, to lave, for which 

 Lavender-water is used.) 



L. v6ra, GARDEN L. Cult, from S. Europe : a low undershmb, barely 

 hardy N., hoary, with lance-linear leaves, and slender spikes of bluish small 

 flowers on long terminal peduncles, in summer. 



8. PERILLA. (Name unexplained.) Natives of China ana Japan. 



P. OCimoides, var crispa, or P NANKINENSIS of the gardens; a bal- 

 samic-scented much-branched herb, cult, for its foliage, the ovate-petioled leaves 

 in this variety dark purple or violet-tinged beneath, bronze-pur pie above, the 

 margins wavy and deeply cut-toothed, the insignificant rose-colored or whitish 

 flowers in panicled spike-like racemes, in late summer. 



9. MENTHA, MINT. (Ancient Greek and Latin name.) One native 

 and two very common naturalized European species, mostly spreading rap- 

 idly by running rootstocks ; leaves toothed ; the small flowers purplish- 

 bluish, or almost white, in summer. ^ The following common Mints 

 all in wet places. 



M. viridis, SPEARMINT. Nearly smooth, with oblong o" lance-ovate wrin- 

 kled-veiny sessile leaves, and flowers in narrow terminal spikes. 



M. piperita, PEPPERMINT. Smooth, with ovate acute pctioled leaves, a 

 whorled clusters of flowers forming loose interrupted spikes. 



M. Canad^nsis, WILD MINT. Along shaded brooks; pleasant-scented,^ 

 hairy or a smooth variety, with ovate or lance-oblong acute or pointed leaves on -i> -~ 

 short petioles, and whorls of flowers in the axils of some of the middle pairs. 



10. LYCOPUS, WATER-HOREHOUND. (Name in Greek mean s wolfs 

 foot ) Resembling the Wild Mint, but bitter, and not aromatic, commonly 



producing slender sometimes tuber-bearing runners from the base, smooth, the 



very small white flowers close-clustered in the axils of the leaves, in summer. 



Wild in shady moist soil. ^Z 



L. Virginicus, BUGLEWKED. Common N.; stems blunt-angled, 6'- 18' 

 high ; leaves mostly lance-ovate and merely toothed ; calyx-teeth 4, ovate and 

 bluntish. Used in medicine. 



' .L. EuropSBUS, under several varieties : common N. & S., is taller, with 



sharply 4-angled stems, ovate-oblong or lanceolate leaves either toothed or pin- *^& fr . 

 natifid, many flowers in the clusters or whorls, and 5 calyx-teeth rigid and 

 sharp-pointed. 



