802 MENTHA. [CLASS XIV. ORDER 1. 



Root fibrous, with long creeping suckers. Stem erect, simple, or 

 branched, leafy, square, mostly rough, with short recurved hairs. 

 Leaves ovate, or elliptic ovate, rounded or tapering at the base, serrated, 

 and more or less rough, with short hairs, paler, and with prominent 

 ribs on the under side. Inflorescence dense, many flowered, terminal 

 and lateral heads, or in distant whorls, sometimes the whorls are so 

 close together as to form an oblong spike. Flotvers on short pedicles, 

 more or less rough, with reflexed hairs. Bracteas lanceolate, hairy. 

 Calyx tubular, or funnel-shaped, furrowed, rough, with hairs of various 

 lengths, all pointed upwards, and scattered over with glandular dots. 

 Corolla purplish, about half as long again as the calyx, hairy on the 

 outside. Stamens variable in length, but mostly longer than the 

 corolla. 



Habitat. — Banks of rivers, drains, marshes, and watery places ; 

 frequent. 



Perennial ; flowering in August and September. 



This variable species is distinguished from the others, by the tubular 

 calyx having its hairs erect, while those of its pedicle are recurved. 

 All varieties, from a capitate to a close whorled spike and remote 

 whorled inflorescence, are found ; but as this is a character by no 

 means constant it cannot be relied upon. The odour of the whole 

 plant is strong, pungent, and to most people disagreeable ; some of its 

 varieties are much less so than others, and this seems lo depend upon 

 the kind of soil, and its being more or less moist, and also upon its 

 being a shady or open situation in which it has grown. 



7. M. praten'sis, Sole. (Fig. 920.) Meadow Mint. Stem erect, 

 much branched ; leaves lanceolate, serrated, nearly sessile; flowers in 

 globose distant whorls, shorter than the leaves ; calyx campanulale, 

 quite smooth at the base, as well as the pedicles. 



Lindley, Synopsis, p. 199. — M. gentilis, Linn. — English Botany, t. 

 449. — M. gracilis, Sm. — English Flora, vol.iii. p. 85. — Hooker, British 

 Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 228. 



Root fibrous, with widely spreading suckers. Stem erect, much 

 branched, of a red colour, obtusely angular, rough, with reflexed hairs, 

 very leafy, especially above. Leaves lanceolate, spreading, on short 

 footstalks, acutely and unequally serrated, somewhat paler beneath 

 than above, more or less clothed with short pubescence, and scat- 

 tered over with small pellucid glandular dots. Inflorescence crowded 

 axillary whorls, sessile, or stalked, much shorter than the floral 

 leaves. Pedicles red, smooth. Calyx short, tubular, smooth at the 

 base, hairy above, and the teeth ciliated. Corolla small, pink, some- 

 what hairy externally. Stamens shorter than the corolla. 



Habitat. — Waste watery places, about towns and villages. 



Perennial ; flowering in August and September. 



This appears to be an intermediate state between the former and 

 following species ; but how far it will be found permanently distinct 



