207 



N. Ord. LABIATE. 

 Tribe Monardea. 



Genus Rosmarinus,* Linn. B. & H., Gen., ii, p. 1197. The 

 only species is the following. 



207. Rosmarinus officinalis, Linn., Sp. Plant., ed. 1, p. 23 



(1753). 



Rosemary. 



Figures. Woodville, t. 117 ; Hayne, vii, t. 25 ; Steph. & Ch., i, t. 24 ; 

 Nees, t. 162 ; Berg & Sch., t. 10 c ; Flora Graeca, t. 14 ; Nees, Gen. 

 Fl. Germ. ; Jord. and Fourreau, Ic. PL Europ., tt. 101103. 



Description. A small shrub attaining a height of about 4 feet, 

 bushy and much branched, branches cylindrical, bark pale brown, 

 fibrous, the young twigs tomentose. Leaves very numerous, 

 evergreen, spreading, opposite, sessile, 1 lj inch long, oblong- 

 linear, blunt at both ends, entire, with the margin strongly 

 revolute, somewhat arched or drooping, thick, dark green and 

 shining above, densely woolly with white stellate hairs beneath. 

 Flowers rather large, shortly stalked, arranged in opposite pairs 

 on short axillary racemose branches rather shorter than the 

 leaves, bracts short, acute. Calyx tubular, wider above, deeply 

 cut into 2 lips, the upper with 3 small teeth, the lower deeply 

 bifid, more or less covered with a white stellate tomentum, 

 internally smooth. Corolla with a short tube scarcely exceeding 

 the calyx, strongly 2-lipped, the upper lip erect, oblong, cut into 

 2 lanceolate segments, the lower lip with 2 spreading oval 

 lateral segments and a large dependent concave trifid central 

 one with the lobes denticulate, slightly hairy externally, smooth 

 within, pale dull blue, the lower lip spotted with purple and 

 white. Stamens 2, filaments with a small reflexed tooth below 

 the middle, anther-cells linear, coherent, dorsifixed; 2 small 



* Rosmarinus, or as two words, Ros marinus (literally sea-dew), the 

 classical name for the plant. 



