THE LABIATJE. 165 



Here, then, is an order of plants, the Boraginaceae, 

 which is very different from the Labiatae, except in 

 the characters of the ovary, and in these characters 

 it is almost identical with that order. You have in 

 this instance an example of the puzzling relationships 

 encountered in classification. The verbenas cannot 

 be grouped with the labiates, because, though won- 

 derfully like them in many other respects, they are 

 so unlike in the characters of the pistil ; the borages, 

 though agreeing essentially with the Labiatae in the 

 characters of the pistil, cannot be classed with them, 

 because of their differences in so many other re- 

 spects. 



At any rate, you now see that the structure of the 

 ovary is not characteristic of the Labiatae. To iden- 

 tify the members of this group, we have to bear in 

 mind several characters, which you are prepared to 

 do if you have examined and compared the plants 

 named above. When you find a plant with a two- 

 lipped corolla, square stem, and opposite leaves, 

 joined with a deeply-lobed ovary and basic style, 

 you need not hesitate to place it among Labiatae. 



You have now examined a good many species of 

 plants belonging to four different natural families 

 the Composite, the Cruciferae, the Umbelliferse, and 

 the Labiatae. Can you tell whether their leaves are 

 parallel-veined or net- veined ? Have you ever seen 

 a parallel-veined cruciferous plant ? Have composite 

 plants, as far as you know, parallel-veined or net- 

 veined leaves? Try to find whether the leaves in 

 the plants of these orders are alike in their venation. 



Order XII., of Chart III., exhibits the characters 

 of the Labiatae. 



