MENTHA.] LABIATE. 317 



DISTRIB. Europe, Canaries ; introd. in N. America. The forms here 

 enumerated are not constant ; I have taken their diagnosis from Baker's 

 and Syme's works. 



M. SATI'VA proper (b. riva'lis, Lond. Cat.) ; green, 2-3 ft., leaves hairy on both . 

 surfaces, pedicels calyx and corolla hairy. Common in England, rare in 

 Scotland and Ireland. VAR. 1, hairy, whorls all separate, bracts all folia- 

 ceous, upper sometimes flowerless. VAR. M. paludo'sa, Sole ; hairy, upper 

 whorls collected into a spike with smaller bracts. The passage to M. aquat'ica. 

 VAR. subyla'bra. Baker ; almost glabrous, whorls all separate, bracts all 

 foliaceous. 



Sub-sp. M. RTJ'BRA, Sm. ; stem 3-5 ft., and nerves of leaves purple, leaves 

 glabrous or sparingly hairy, calyx hairy, pedicels and corolla glabrous. Not 

 uncommon in England, rare in Scotland and Ireland. 



Sub-sp. M. GRAC'ILIS, 8m. ; slender, green, leaves oblong-lanceolate glabrous or 

 sparingly hairy, whorls all separate, bracts all smaller and narrower than 

 the leaves, bracteoles equalling and exceeding the flowers, calyx ciliate, 

 pedicels and corolla glabrous. VAR. yrac'ilis proper, stem hairy below, 

 lower bracts shortly petioled 5-6 times as long as the rather remote whorls. 

 "Wiltshire (gathered by Sole only). VA.n.cardi f aca, Baker; nearly glabrous, 

 bracts sessile 2-4 times as long as the crowded whorls. From Middlesex 

 N. to the Tyne ; often cultivated ; smells of Basil. 



Sub-sp. M. PRATEN'SIS, Sole ; leaves drooping rounded at both ends finely 

 serrate hairy above, glabrous except on the close-set nerves beneath, whorls 

 in the upper leaves only all separate, calyx-teeth ciliate, pedicels and corolla 

 glabrous. New Forest, gathered by Sole only in 1789. 



Sub-sp. M. GENTI'LIS, L. ; leaves spreading ovate acute serrate slightly hairy 

 above and on the (few) nerves especially beneath, bracts all leaf-like upper- 

 most flowerless, pedicels and corolla glabrous, calyx-teeth ciliate. Common 

 in England, rare in Scotland. VAR. genti'lis proper ; stem hairy, leaves 

 rather coriaceous most hairy beneath, calyx-teeth densely hairy. VAR. M. 

 Wirtgenia'na, F. Schultz (a hybrid, Nyman}\ stem subglabrous, leaves 

 slightly hairy above, but on the nerves only beneath, calyx-teeth sparingly 

 hairy . VAR. M. Paulia'na, F. Schultz ; stem subglabrous, leaves as in 

 Wirtgenia'na, calyx-teeth densely hairy (a var. of arven'sis, Nyman). 



6. M. arven'sis, L. ; leaves petioled ovate- or oblong-lanceolate 



obtusely serrate, upper smaller, bracteoles shorter than the flowers acute, 



calyx hairy, teeth triangular, corolla hairy without and within. 



Cultivated fields and waste places, N. to Orkney ; ascends to 1,000 ft. in the 



Highlands ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. Aug.-Sept. Usually a low 



branched plant, 1-2 ft., very variable, chiefly distinguished from M. sati'va 



by the short calyx-teeth. Flowers honeyed, dimorphous, larger 2-sexual, 



smaller males. DISTRIB. Europe (Arctic), N. and W. Asia, Himalaya ; 



introd. in N. America. The following are inconstant varieties. 



M. arverisis proper ; stem short, hairs dense reflexed, leaves smooth hairy all 



over, calyx very hairy. M. nummula'ria, Schreb. ; stem long, hairs few, 



leaves and calyx sparingly hairy. M. agres'tis, Sole ; stem long hairy, 



* leaves coarsely serrate broad often cordate wrinkled and calyx very hairy, 



bracts smaller upwards. M. pra'cox, Sole ; stem stout erect slightly hairy, 



leaves smooth sparingly hairy, bracts much smaller upwards, calyx-teeth 



longer. Approaches M. sati'va. M. Allio'nii, Bor. ; stem tall slightly hairy 



