1857.] CALAMINTHA NEPETA. 131 



tish plants would be of much value to the domestic ^Esculapius : 

 probably ^sculapius himself used little else except herbs. 



CALAMINTHA XEPETA, aairv. 



As grave doubts exist about the specific existence or identity 

 of the above plant, it is hoped that the following notices may 

 not be unseasonable. The subjoined characters ai'e those of a 

 plant gathered somewhere in West Smi-ey^ and which has been 

 in the herbarium for some considerable time. 



C.Xepeta, Clairv. — Stems roundish,, erect_, leafy, densely wooUy, 

 mostly simple, or with short opposite branches. Leaves small, 

 ovate-deltoid, obtuse, with blunt serratures, and on short peti- 

 oles (this character varies, but, as a general law, the petiole is 

 considerably shorter than the leaf), pale-green, haiiy. Flowers 

 in forked cymes, not numerous. Calyx subcylindrical, not swell- 

 ing in front, teeth equal, linear or filiform, with short fiinges, 

 hail's of the thi'oat prominent ? 



In Kittel's 'Taschenbuch der Deutschen Flora,' the author 

 states that it is very similar to the foregoing C. vulgaris. — 

 "Flowers lUac-eoloured, the lip dappled with violet; the two 

 lower calyx-teeth nearly thrice as long as the three upper; clusters 

 of ten to fifteen flowers. — A very variable plant." 



Mr. Leighton's idea of C. Nepeta is thus stated in the ' Flora 

 of Shropshire,-' p. 290. — " Leaves smaller (than those of C. vul- 

 garis), on very short petioles, ovate or ovate-deltoid, obtuse, ser- 

 rated. Flowers in dichotomous, axillary, many-flowered cymes; 

 calyx subcampanulate, not swelling in front, indistinctly two- 

 lipped, segments all subulate and straight, the two lower ones 

 shghtly longer than the three upper ones, hairs of mouth pro- 

 minent ; central lobe of lower lip of corolla rounded and entire ; 

 seeds paler, brown, less conspicuously dotted." - 



Dr. Walker, in his ' Flora of Oxfordshire,' 1833, distinguishes 

 both species or states, and says, — " Specific difierence between 

 T. CaJamintha and T. Xepeta {Calamintha Nepeta) not easily de- 

 fined. Leaves of this, C. vulgaris, lai"ger, with smaller serratui'es. 

 Flower-stalks shorter than the leaves ; haii's at the mouth of the 

 calyx less prominent. Flower-stalks axillary. Leaves stalked. 



