Mentha.] LABIATE. 317 



Distbib. Europe, Canaries ; introd. in N. America. — The forms here 

 enumerated are not constant ; I have taken their diagnosis from Baker's 

 and Syme's works. 



M. sati'va proper {b. riva'lis, Lond. Cat.) ; green, 2-3 ft., leaves hairy on hoth 

 surfaces, pedicels calyx and corolla hairy. Common in England, rare in 

 Scotland and Ireland. — Var. 1, hairy, whorls all separate, bracts all folia- 

 ceous, upper sometimes flowerless. — Var. M. paludo'sa, Sole ; hairy, upper 

 whorls collected into a spike with smaller bracts. The passage to M. aquat'ica. 

 — Var. subgla'bra, Baker ; almost glabrous, whorls all separate, bracts all 

 foliaceous. 



Sub-sp. M. rtj'bra, Sm. ; stem 3-5 ft., and nerves of leaves purple, leaves 

 glabrous or sparingly hairy, calyx hairy, pedicels and corolla glabrous. Not 

 uncommon in England, rare in Scotland and Ireland. 



Sub-sp. M. gracilis, Sm. ; slender, green, leaves oblong-lanceolate glabrous or 

 sparingly hairy, whorls all separate, bracts all smaller and narrower than 

 the leaves, bracteoles equalling and exceeding the flowers, calyx ciliate, 

 pedicels and corolla glabrous. — Var. grac'ilis proper, stem hairy below, 

 lower bracts shortly petioled 5-6 times as long as the rather remote whorls. 

 Wiltshire (gathered oy Sole only). — Var. cardi'aca, Baker; nearly glabrous, 

 bracts sessile 2-4 times as long as the crowded whorls. From Middlesex 

 N. to the Tj'ne ; often cultivated ; smells of Basil. 



Sub-sp. M. praten'sis, Sole ; leaves drooping rounded at both ends finely 

 serrate hairy above, glabrous except on the close-set nerves beneath, whorls 

 in the upper leaves only all separate, calyx-teeth ciliate, pedicels and corolla 

 glabrous. New Forest, gathered by Sole only in 1789. 



Sub-sp. M. genti'lis, L. ; leaves spreading ovate acute serrate slightly hairy 

 above and on the (few) nerves especially beneath, bracts all leaf-like upper- 

 most flowerless, pedicels and corolla glabrous, calyx-teeth ciliate. Common 

 in England, rare in Scotland. — Var. genti'lis proper; stem hairy, leaves 

 rather coriaceous most hairy beneath, calyx-teeth densely hairy. — Var. M. 

 Wirtgenia'na, F. Schultz (a hybrid, Nyman); stem subglabrous, leaves 

 slightly hairy above, but on the nerves only beneath, calyx-teeth sparingly 

 hairy. — Var. M. Paulia'na, F. Schultz ; stem subglabrous, leaves as in 

 Wirtgenia'na, calyx-teeth densely hairy (a var. of arven'sis, Nyman). 



6. M. arven'sis, L. ; leaves petioled ovate- or oblong-lanceolate 



obtusely serrate, upper smaller, bracteoles shorter than the flowers acute, 



calyx hairy, teeth triangular, corolla hairy without and within. 



Cultivated fields and waste places, N. to Orkney ; ascends to 1,000 ft. in the 



Highlands ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. Aug.-Sept. — Usually a low 



branched plant, 1-2 ft., very variable, chiefly distinguished from M. sati'va 



by the short calyx-teeth. Flowers honeyed, dimorphous, larger 2-sexual, 



smaller males. — Distrib. Europe (Arctic), N. and W. Asia, Himalaya ; 



introd. in N. America. — The following are inconstant varieties. 



M. arven'sis proper ; stem short, hairs dense reflexed, leaves smooth hairy all 



over, calyx very hairy. — M. nummula'ria, Schreb. ; stem long, hairs few, 



leaves and calyx sparingly hairy. — M. agres'tis, Sole ; stem long hairy, 



leaves coarsely serrate broad often cordate wrinkled and calyx very hairy, 



bracts smaller upwards. — M. prce'cox, Sole ; stem stout erect slightly hairy, 



leaves smooth sparingly hairy, bracts much smaller upwards, calyx-teeth 



longer. Approaches M. sati'va. — M. Allio'nii, Bor. ; stem tall slightly hairy 



