202 



N. Ord. LABIATE. 

 Tribe Satureiece. 



Genus Mentha, Linn. 



202, Mentha viridis, Linn., Sp. Plant, ed. 2, p. 804 (1762). 

 Spear Mint. Common Garden Mint. Mackerel Mint. 



Syn. M. sylvestris, var. glabra, Koch. M. spicata, Crantz. 



Figures. Woodville, 1. 121 ? ; Steph. & Ch., t. 45 ; Nees, 1. 166 ; Hayne, 

 xi, t. 36; Sole, Brit. Mints, t. 5; Syme, E. Bot., vii, t. 1023; Reich., 

 Ic. Germ., xviii, t. 1284, fig. 1. 



Description. E/ootstock perennial, with elongated suckers. 

 Stems herbaceous, 2 3 feet or more high, erect, acutely quad- 

 rangular, with erect-patent, opposite branches, smooth or very 

 slightly hairy, often tinged with bright purple. Leaves opposite, 

 sessile, or the lowest very slightly stalked, lanceolate or oblong- 

 lanceolate, 2 4 inches long, rounded at the base, acute at the apex, 

 dark green, serrate, smooth on both surfaces, or slightly hairy on 

 the veins below, paler and thickly glandular beneath. Inflores- 

 cence of numerous spikes of verticils terminating the stem and 

 branches ; spikes narrow, acute, elongated, with numerous distinct 

 whorls, the lower ones considerably separated ; flowers small, on 

 perfectly smooth pedicels ; bracteoles linear, subulate, slightly 

 fringed. Calyx nearly regular, bell-shaped, cylindrical, 10-ribbed, 

 purplish, dotted with glands, quite smooth, 5-toothed, the teeth 

 lanceolate- subulate, as long as the tube, ciliate. Corolla about 

 twice the length of the calyx, pale purple, naked within and 

 without. Stamens 4, included or exserted, filaments equal. Style 

 exserted, bifid at apex. Achenes smooth. 



Habitat. The common mint is a well-known garden plant, and 

 is in all probability a cultivated race of M. sylvestris, L. (Horse- 

 mint), a coarse woolly plant of wide distribution. It has been in 

 cultivation in England for many centuries, and occurs occasionally 

 here in a semi- wild state. Mr. Baker considers it truly indi- 



