THE MINT FAMILY. 453 



NARROW-LEAVED SAGE. {Plate CL.) 

 Salvia aziirca. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Mint. Blue or white. Scentless. Florida to .\\u tk Carolina J uly-Octobdr. 



wcativaril. 



Flowers: growing in whorles of from two to twelve in slender elongated racemes. 

 Calyx: two-lipped; the upper one entire, ovate; the lower one having two small 

 acute teeth, pubescent. Corolla: tubular, two-lipped, the u])per lip concave and 

 enclosing the two anther-bearing stamens ; lower lip spreading and finely 

 pubescent on the outside. Slyle : pubescent near the summit; twice-cleft. 

 Leaves: linear, lanceolate, j^ointed or obtuse at the ape.x and tapering at the base 

 into the margined petiole; remotely serrate; glabrous, or puberuleiU. Stem: two 

 to four feet high, simple or branched near the summit, leafy, four-angled, smooth. 



The beauty of this plant is best seen in the ptire unspotted whiteness of 

 its flowers and in their exquisite softness. When they occur in their blue form 

 they appear to me not nearly so pretty. In the light, sandy soil of Florida 

 and especially about Jacksonville the plant remains late in bloom, but often 

 there it is overshadowed and hidden away by such pronounced beauties as 

 the blazing stars, coreopses, yellow polygalas and even the spider-lilies. 



S. lyrala^ lyre-leaved sage, is always a distinctive species, from its lyrate- 

 pinnaiifid basal leaves. The upper leaves of the stem are frequently entire 

 and grow in pairs rather far apart. Its flowers also are large, rather dis- 

 tant, in whorles and quite showy, with corollas of a beautiful blue, white- 

 spotted in the throat and having a short upper lip. 



S. nrlicifblia, nettle-leaved sage, bears smaller flowers of blue-and-white 

 with noticeably broad and three-lobed lower lips. Its leaves are ovate 

 either abruptly squared at the base or tapering into margined petioles. The 

 borders are crenate or crenate-toothed. As far northward as Maryland the 

 plant's range extends, and it always prefers to grow in light, open woods. 



WILD BERGAMOT. 



Mondrda fistiilbsa. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Mint. Pinkish lavender. Fragrant. Florida and Louisiana J unc-Stptemier 



to Maine, 



Flotvers: growing in a terminal head with underlying lanceolate bracts, green or 

 partaking somewhat of the flower's colour. Calyx: tubular; with five minute 

 teeth ; hairy in the throat. Corolla: tubular; slightly curved, two-lipped, the lower 

 lip projecting in a little tip, the upper one hairy and jiartly enclosing tiie stamens. 

 Stamens : two ; protruding; anthers : deep purple. Pistil: one. stvlc protruding and 

 two-lobed at the apex. Leaves: opposite; petioled ; ovatc-lanceolato; cordate or 

 rounded at the base, serrate and slightly covered with tomeiUum, at least on 

 the petioles. Stem : two to three feet high ; purplish ; pubescent. 



On a dry mountain-side in North Carolina I pulled one day in July a 

 stem of wild bergamot that measured nearly four feet long, and boldly it 



