THE FIG WORT FAMILY, SCROPHULARIACE^E. 



This large family, which includes the poisonous Foxglove (Digitalis) of 

 Europe, does not contribute many farm weeds in Canada. The plants are 

 remarkably variable in appearance, and in no order except perhaps the 

 Orchids are there so many varieties of irregular corollas. The leaves pre- 

 sent almost every form. The flowers are usually in spikes as in the Mul- 

 leins, or in panicles as in the rank-smelling Figworts, occasionally axillary 

 and solitary as in the aromatic Musk. The Corolla is of 4 or 5 petals, either 

 slightly united at the base or completely into a tube. The fruit is a 2-celled 

 capsule which opens when ripe and allows the numerous seeds to drop out. 

 In this family we find the Speedwells (Veronica), some species of which are 

 troublesome weeds on lawns, the introduced Red Bartsia, Bartsia Odontites, 

 Huds., and the Glandular Eyebright, Euphrasia latifolia, Pursh, both rather 

 common pasture weeds in Prince Edward Island, and the persistent deep-' 

 rooted perennial weed the TOAD FLAX, Linaria vulgaris, Mill., common x and 

 injurious in all parts of Eastern Canada and gradually spreading into Mani- 

 toba. Where this plant has established itself, a short rotation of crops is 

 essential. The showy pale yellow flowers with orange lips, nearly an inch 

 long, are borne erect in dense racemes; the two-lobed corolla is closed and 

 mouth-like, but, by gentle pressure at the sides, it opens and closes like 

 the muzzle of an animal. The flat black disk-like winged seeds [Plate 54, 

 fig. 30 natural size and enlarged 8 times] are about one-tenth of an inch in 

 diameter and are often found in grass seeds. They are easily recognized 

 from other seeds amongst which they occur, both by their shape and dark 

 colour. 



THE VERBENA FAMILY, VERBENACEsE. 



Is a small order allied to the Mint family and contains two or three tall 

 herbaceous plants with small flowers, which are meadow and pasture weeds 

 and of which the small seed-like nutlets are often found in grass seeds. The 

 commonest of these is that of the BLUE YEHVAIN, Verbena hastata, L. [Plate 

 54, fig. 31 natural size and enlarged 8 times]. It is brown in colour except 

 the large whitish basal scar at the bottom of the inner face. The outer 

 face is convex, irregularly ridged lengthwise and sharply angled at the 

 sides. The inner face slopes to the margin from a sharply angled central 

 ridge. 



THE MINT FAMILY, LABIATsE. 



This large family contains several weeds, some of which are of com- 

 mon occurrence, but none of which are of much importance agriculturally. 

 The characters of the family are well marked and easily recognized. A 

 noticeable feature of these plants is the production of pleasantly aromatic 

 and oily secretions as in the case of Lavender, Mint, Peppermint, Sage, 

 Thyme, Rosemary, Bergamot, Patchouli, and many others which are used 

 for the production of perfumes or in cooking. No plant in this large order 

 is poisonous. Salient characters of this family are a square stem, often 

 downy, a strong scent when bruised, leaves always opposite and simple, 

 flowers generally clustered in the axils of the leaves, corolla irregular, more 

 or less mouth-shaped with large wide open lips, the lower of which is gen- 

 erally much larger. The fruit of these plants consists of the 4 lobes of the 

 ovary, which when ripe fall apart and become 4 seed-like nutlets or achenes 



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