no DIDYNAMIA— GYMNOSPERMIA. Melittis. 



By way sides, and about the borders of fields, chiefly on a gra- 

 velly soil, but seldom in any quantity. 



Perennial. July, August. 



Stem erect, bushy, downy like the whole of the herbage. Leaves 

 stalked, ovate, about an inch long, marked with pellucid dots j 

 paler and most hoary underneath. Flower-stalks axillary, soli- 

 tary, opposite, forked and many-flowered, making a spurious 

 kind of whorl, with awl-shaped bracteas at their principal sub- 

 divisions. Cal. exactly that of a Thymus, swelling a little at 

 the base in front ; the 2 lower teeth long and fringed, as in T. 

 Serpyllum; the tube closed with white, converging hairs, which 

 however do not project so far as to be conspicuous. Cor. twice 

 the length of the calyx, light purple dotted with violet, downy ; 

 its upper lip somewhat concave, but the margin is erect, with a 

 shallow notch ; lower in 3 lobes, the middlemost largest, in- 

 versely heart-shaped. 



The whole plant has a peculiarly sweet aromatic flavour, and makes 

 a pleasant tea, especially mixed with smaller portions of Pep- 

 per-mint, Balm, or some others of the same natural family. 



4. T. Nepeta. Lesser Calamint. 



Whorls on forked many-flowered stalks, longer than the 

 adjoining leaf. Leaves serrated. Hairs m the mouth of 

 the calyx prominent. 



T. Nepeta. Fl Br. 642. Engl. Bot. v. 20. t. 1414. Relh. 239. 



Melissa Nepeta. Linn.Sp. Pl.823. fVilld.v.3A47. Curt.Lond. 

 fuse. 6. t. 40. 



M. n. 240. Hall. Hist. v.\.\Q5. 



Calamintha odore pulegii. Rail Syn. 243. Ger. Em. 687./. 



C. montana. Matth. Valgr.v. 2. 77 -f. Camer. Epit. 482./. 



C. folio incano. Riv. Monop. Irr. t. 47. 



On dry banks, and by way sides, on a chalky soil, plentifully. 



Perennial. August. 



Rather smaller in every part than the last, especially the leaves, 

 which nevertheless are more strongly serrated. The ^ower- 

 stalks are more compound, much longer than the adjoining 

 leaves. The odour of the herbage is very strong, resembling 

 Mentha Pulegium. The very prominent and conspicuous white 

 hairs, in the mouth of the calyx, afford an obvious distinction 

 between this and T. Calamintha. 



300. MELITTIS. Bastard-Balm. 



Liiin. Gen. 299. Juss. 116. Fl. Br. 643. Lam. ^ 5 13. 



Cal. bell-shaped, slightly angular, direct, somewhat two- 

 lipped, variously lobed ; upper lip rather longest, acute ; 

 lower rather shorter, acute, deeply cloven. Cor. rin- 



