A LABIATE FLOWER 47 



The lower lip spreads outward, and consists of a large 

 central lobe and two small lateral ones. Altogether, 

 therefore, there are five lobes constituting the gamopetal- 

 ous corolla. Pull out the corolla, and with the point of 

 your needle split its tube in front. On laying it open, 

 the stamens will be found to be inserted upon it (epipet- 

 alous). They are four in number, two of them 

 longer than the other two. Hence they are 

 described as didynamous. The anthers are 

 peculiar in not having their lobes parallel (Fig. 

 60), these being wide apart at the base, in con- 

 sequence of the expansion of the connective, the 

 Fig. 60. name given to that part of the anther which 

 unites its two lobes or cells. 



The pistil consists of a two-lobed stigma, a 

 long style, and an ovary which seems at first as 

 if made up of four distinct carpels (Fig. 61). 

 But the two-lobed stigma will warn you against 

 this supposition. The ovary really 

 consists of two carpels, each of two deep 

 lobes, and, as the seeds ripen, these 

 Fig. 62. lobes form four little nutlets (Fig. 62), Fig . 61 

 each containing a single seed. 



66. The Catnip is a type of the Order Labiatce (Mint 

 Family), so called because the corollas are usually 

 labiate. It is marked by the following characters : 



1. The stem is square, and the leaves are opposite and 



generally aromatic. 



2. The corolla is more or less labiate. 



3. The stamens are mostly didynamous. 



Fig. 60. Front view of the same. Fig. 61. Pistil of Catnip. 



Fig. 62. Ripe ovary of four separate nutlets. 



