THE VERBENA TRIBE. 199 



parts of the corolla are like lips, either closed or 

 gaping), and grow in whorls or rings round the 

 stem at regular distances. 



" That is how nearly all the plants look in the 

 herb-garden," said Eobert; "so I suppose mint, 

 and thyme, and marjoram, and sage belong to it" 



" If sage does, then the salvias must also," said 

 Mary ; " for mamma says that salvia means sage, 

 and that the beautiful red and purple salvias are 

 near relations of common sage." 



Henry recollected many other examples of these 

 lipped flowers, such as lavender, penny-roya], 

 horehound, rosemary, and ground-ivy. 



After remarking that the chief value of the 

 tribe arises from its aromatic qualities, making it 

 useful for culinary purposes, his father went on to 

 speak of the VERBENA tribe, which is of little im- 

 portance except as furnishing the valuable timber 

 called teak, which is the produce of an enormous 

 tree * growing in the mountain-forests of Malabar 

 and other parts of the East Indies. 



The children were surprised to hear of such a 

 tree among the verbenas, having only seen small 

 herbs of that name. 



* Tectona grandis. 



