PLANTS. 309 



that it requires some labor to hew them down. Never- 

 theless as nothing is without its use they are indis- 

 pensably necessary to the natives in building their huts, 

 as, having no nails, they serve in place of this article to 

 bind the beams and posts together, and prove as strong 

 as mortises or tenons. 



FORTY-NINTH FAMILY. LABIATE. (Class 2 and 

 14, L.) This well known family of plants have mostly 

 labiate of two-lipped flowers, by which they are distin- 

 guished ; partly herbaceous, partly shrubby. 



The Sage (Salvia officinalis) has an upright, branch- 

 ing stem, growing in bunches ; leaves oval, somewhat 

 wrinkled or petiolate ; the whole plant woolly and gray- 

 ish-green ; flowers bluish-purple, and arranged in whorls 

 forming a spike. Native in the south of Europe, but 

 planted in gardens, where it grows into a shrub. Has a 

 balsamic odor, somewhat like that of camphor ; taste bit- 

 ter, aromatic, and slightly acrid. Very useful in domes- 

 tic economy and medicine, h. 



The Rosemary (Rosmarinus oflicinalis), an erect, 

 evergreen shrub, stem much branched, younger branches 

 angular and downy. Leaves opposite, obtuse ; under 

 surface whitish and downy ; flowers in compact, terminal 

 heads, axillary, of a bright blue color, having, like the 

 leaves, a strong aromatic fragrance like camphor ; yields 

 by distillation a large proportion of fragrant oil. Native 

 of southern Europe, where it grows wild among the rocks 

 along the sea-coast ; planted in gardens, is used as sea- 

 soning in cookery and also medicinally, h. 



Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is herbaceous ; leaves 

 smooth, ovate, lanceolate, serrate, petiolate ; flowers 

 whitish, bordered with red. arranged in terminal spikes. 

 Grows wild in England, cultivated in gardens elsewhere, 



