LABIATE 245 



STACHYS L. 



Coarse, hairy herbs with flowers often in whorls of about 6, 

 forming terminal racemes, spikes, or heads. Calyx 5 or lo-ribbed, 

 with 5 nearly equal pointed teeth. Corolla with upper lip concave, 

 entire, and lower lip longer, spreading, 3-lobed, Stamens 4, in 

 pairs under the upper lip. Nuts smooth, rounded at top. 



A large genus, spread nearly all over the world, but in tropical 

 regions only in the mountains. 



Stachys Alopecurus Benth. (Betonica Alopecurus L.). 



Stem 8-20 inches, erect, simple, few-leaved, rough-haired like 

 the whole plant. Leaves stalked, ovate or cordate, coarsely 

 crenate or dentate. Flowers yellowish white, in axillary cymes 

 forming a dense, false-whorled, capitate spike. Calyx as long as 

 corolla-tube, with sharp teeth one-third length of the tube. 



Alpine and sub-alpine pastures. July, August. 



Distribution. Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians. 

 Stachys densiftora Benth. (Betonica hirsuta L.). 



Stem 6-12 inches, erect, leafy, and hairy like the whole plant. 

 Leaves cordate, elliptical, coarsely crenate, lower ones stalked ; 

 upper pair sessile and turned downwards. Flowers purple-rose 

 in axillary cymes, forming an oval compact spike. Calyx 12-15 

 mm. long, with lanceolate-acute teeth one-third its length. 



Alpine and sub-alpine pastures up to 8200 feet ; local. July, 

 August. 



Distribution. Alps, Pyrenees, Spain. 

 Stachys alpina L. Alpine Woundwort. 



A tall species 2-3 feet high, with erect and often branched stem, 

 hairy and glandular at the top. Lower leaves broadly oval, obtuse, 

 cordate at the base, softly downy on both sides, crenate-dentate 

 and petioled ; upper leaves lanceolate, sub-sessile. Flowers in a 

 long, irregular spike. Bracts lanceolate, entire, often reddish. 

 Calyx- teeth lanceolate and ending in a white mucro. Corolla dull 

 purple. See plate and interesting notes by J. W. White in his 

 excellent Flora of Bristol (1912). 



Mountain woods. July, August. 



Distribution. Central and Southern Europe, except the Mediter- 

 ranean region ; Caucasus. In England on the Cotswold Hills only. 



Stachys recta L. 



A much smaller and more fragile plant 1-2 feet high, green, hairy, 

 and scented, with almost woody stock and many ascending stems. 

 Leaves hairy and green on both sides, oblong-lanceolate, very 

 shortly petioled. Flowers pale yellow, in loose whorled spikes. 

 Calyx-teeth hairy, triangular, half length of the tube. 



