Blue to Purple Flowers 285 



The leaves grow in pairs up the stems, and are frequently 

 marked with reddish patches. 



WOUNDWORT 



Stachys palustris. Mint Family 



Stems: erect, strict, simple, retrorse-hispid on the angles. Leaves: 

 firm, lanceolate, oblong, almost sessile, acute at the apex, subcordate at 

 the base, dentate. Flowers: in clusters, forming an elongated inter- 

 rupted spike. 



The Woundwort has from six to ten reddish-purple flow- 

 ers in each of the whorls that encircle its stem at intervals, 

 and also bears a terminal cluster at the top. Stachys means 

 " a spike," and refers to its elongated flower-spikes, while 

 palustris signifies " growing in swamps/' and is therefore 

 peculiarly appropriate to this plant, which frequents very 

 moist places. Probably it is sometimes called Hedge Nettle 

 because the leaves resemble those of the true Nettle, but 

 without the stinging properties of the latter. Stachys is a 

 very hairy plant, its leaves and stems being all covered with 

 quantities of fine hairs, and Gerade claims to have cured 

 wounds by binding it over the cuts, and in olden days these 

 plants were frequently employed to stop bleeding, hence the 

 name of Woundwort. 



CANADA MINT 



Mentha canadensis. Mint Family 



Stems: erect, simple or branched. Leaves: oblong, acute, sharply 

 serrate. Flowers: all in short and dense, sessile, axillary glomerules; 

 calyx oblong-campanulate, pubescent, five-toothed; corolla irregularly 

 four-cleft. 



The traveller has only to pick a spray of this plant to 

 know its name, Mint, from Minthe, a lovely nymph whom 



