422. XCIII. LABIAT^E. MELISSA. 



termiaal. 7]. Grows on rocks and in dry woods, N. Y. to Ga. and Ark. Stem 

 4-angled, mostly purple, branching, smooth**, 1 2f high. Leaves small, 

 nearly smooth, roundish or subcordate at base^apering to a point and punctate 

 with pellucid dots. Flowers with subulate bracts at the base of the 3-iorked 

 pedicels. Calyx punctate. Corolla nearly twice as long as the calyx, pubes- 

 cent, pale red. Stamens and style much exserted, of the same hue as the corolla. 

 The herb is delightfully fragrant, and used in febrifugal infusions. Jl. Aug. 



TRIBE 5. MELISSIIVEJE. Calyx bilabiate ; .corolla bilabiate ; upper lip 

 straight, lower lip spreading, cleft into 3 flat lobes, of which the middle one is 

 often broadest. Stamens 4, sometimes 2, ascending. 



18. HE DEO MA. Pers. 



Gr. fifcta, sweet or agreeable, coy/;?, smell; on account of the fragrance. 



Calyx gibbous beneath at base, 13-ribbed, throat hairy ; upper lip 

 of corolla erect, flat, lower lip spreading, 3-lobed ; stamens 2, fertile, 

 ascending. 



H. PULEGIOIDES. Pers. (Cunila. Linn. Ziziphora. R. <$ S.) Pennyroyal. 



Lvs. oblong, few-toothed ; Jls. axillary, whorled. A small, strong-scented 

 herb, held in high repute in the domestic materia medica. Stem erect, branch- 

 ing, half a foot high. Leaves opposite, with 1 2 teeth each side, on very short 

 petioles, smooth on the upper surface, roughish beneath. Calyx ciliate, 2 lower 

 divisions spined. Abundant in dry pastures, N. Eng., Can. to Ga. and Ark. 

 Flowering all summer. 



19. MICROMERIA. Benth. 



Gr. ntxpog, small, ^epos, division; on account of the slightly 2-!ipped calyx and corolla. 



Calyx 13 (rarely 15)-ribbed, 5-toothed, nearly equal ; corolla sub- 

 bilate, tube exserted, upper lip bifidly emarginate, lower subequally 

 3-lobed ; stamens ascending, the upper pair shorter. 



M. GLABELLA. Benth. (Cunila. Michx. Hedeoma glabra. Nutt.) 

 Glabrous ; st. branching above, and mostly surculose at base ; Ivs. entire, 

 those of the suckers elliptic-ovate, of the stem linear-oblong, obtuse ; verticillas- 

 ters about 6-flowered. 1}. A delicate little herb nearly or quite smooth, growing 

 on lime-stone rocks near the base of Niagara Falls ! W. to the Falls of St. An- 

 thony. Rare. It has the general aspect and fragrance of pennyroyal. Stem 

 erect (prostrate at base), 4-angled, slender, 6 10' high. Suckers at the base 

 often numerous and se-veral inches in length, with leaves about 3" by 2 /7 , brown- 

 ish-purple beneath. Stem leaves 9 12"" long, very narrow, the lowest some- 

 times with a few teeth. Flowers somewhat regular, on pedicels ' long, with 

 linear bracts at the base. Corolla pale purple. Stamens 4, the upper pair 

 much the shortest, all antheriferous. July, Aug. 



20. MELISSA. Benth. 



Gr. name of the bee, from /<^, honey, which is sought in these flowers by bees with avidity. 



Calyx 13-ribbed, flattish above, the upper lip 3-toothed, lower bifid ; 

 upper lip of the corolla erect, flattish, lower lip spreading, 3-lobed, 

 the middle lobe mostly broadest ; stamens ascending. 



1. M. OFFICINALIS. Balm. 



Pubescent ; st. erect, branching ; Jls. in dimidiate verticils, subsessile ; Ivs. 

 ovate, acute, coarsely crenate-serrate, rugose ; bracts few, ovate-lanceolate, pe- 

 tiolate. r 4 N. Eng. ! to la. ! found in the deepest forests ! A well known gar- 

 den plant. Stem 1 2f high. Flowers white or yellowish. The plant is a 

 stomachic and diuretic, generally administered in the form of tea. For medi- 

 cinal use it should be cut before flowering, which occurs in June and after. $$ 1 



2. M. CLINOPODIUM. Benth. (Clinopodium vulgare. Linn.') Wild Basil. 



Villose ; Ivs. ovate, subserrate ; verticils many-flowered, hairy ; bracts, nu- 

 merous, subulate. 7J. Low woods, Northern and Western States. A common 

 plant, 1 2f high. Stem square, simple or sparingly branched, and, as well 



