Beautiful Flowering Shrubs 



steeply inclined upwards, and this with a very wise 

 purpose. When the dry winds blow through the 

 shrub they strike upon the carefully protected backs of 

 the leaves and press their faces on to the stem, so that 

 the more tender portion of each leaf is immediately 

 protected, and the full force of the breeze is received 

 without injury by the guarded back. 



The Rosemary belongs to the family known as the 

 Labiatce, and has for its relatives many other sweet- 

 scented herbs, such as the lavender, marjoram, thyme, 

 sweet basil, mint and the pogostemon, from which the 

 famous patchouli scent is extracted. Indeed, scent is a 

 leading characteristic of a large section of this family, 

 even though it may take the form of a strong and 

 somewhat unpleasant aroma, as for instance, in the 

 catmint (Nepetd) and the hedge stachys. The pale 

 lavender-coloured flowers are in clusters of two and 

 three at the end of the shoots. The corolla of each 

 is irregular, yawning and two-lipped, and with two 

 narrow side petals, outstretched like arms. Its base 

 is held in a hoary green calyx, which is also two- 

 lipped, three sepals being united at top and two partly 

 below. In the corolla the top lip has two long ears, 

 showing that it is really composed of two petals, while 

 the lower lip curves down and then up, forming a long 

 deep trough along which run two dark purple lines. 



The lower part of the corolla is a narrow tube. 



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