LABIATE 245 



Stachys L. 



Coarse, hairy herbs with flowers often in whorls of about 6, 

 forming terminal racemes, spikes, or heads. Calyx 5 or lo-ribbed, 

 with 5 nearly equal pointed teeth. Corolla with upper lip concave, 

 entire, and lower lip longer, spreading, 3-lobed. Stamens 4, in 

 pairs under the upper lip. Nuts smooth, rounded at top. 



A large genus, spread nearly all over the world, but in tropical 

 regions only in the mountains. 



Stachys Alopecurus Benth. {Betonica Alopecurus L.). 



Stem 8-20 inches, erect, simple, few-leaved, rough-haired like 

 the whole plant. Leaves stalked, ovate or cordate, coarsely 

 crenate or dentate. Flowers yellowish white, in axillary cymes 

 forming a dense, false-whorled, capitate spike. Calyx as long as 

 corolla-tube, with sharp teeth one-third length of the tube. 



Alpine and sub-alpine pa:stures. July, August. 



Distribution. — Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians. 

 Stachys densiflora Benth. (Betonica hirsuta L.). 



Stem 6-12 inches, erect, leafy, and hairy like the whole plant. 

 Leaves cordate, elliptical, coarsely crenate, lower ones stalked ; 

 upper pair sessile and turned downwards. Flowers purple-rose 

 in axillary cymes, forming an oval compact spike. Calyx 12-15 

 mm. long, with lanceolate-acute teeth one-third its length. 



Alpine and sub-alpine pastures up to 8200 feet ; local. July, 

 August. 



Distribution. — ^Alps, Pyrenees, Spain. 

 Stachys alpina L. Alpine Woundwort. 



A tall species 2-3 feet high, with erect and often branched stem, 

 hairy and glandular at the top. Lower leaves broadly oval, obtuse, 

 cordate at the base, softly downy on both sides, crenate-dentate 

 and petioled ; upper leaves lanceolate, sub-sessile. • Flowers in a 

 long, irregular spike. Bracts lanceolate, entire, often reddish. 

 Calyx-teeth lanceolate and ending in a white mucro. Corolla dull 

 purple. See plate and interesting notes by J. W. White in his 

 excellent Flora of Bristol (1912). 



Mountain woods. July, August. 



Distribution. — Central and Southern Europe, except the Mediter- 

 ranean region ; Caucasus. In England on the Cots wold Hills only. 



Stachys recta L. 



A much smaller and more fragile plant 1-2 feet high, green, hairy, 

 and scented, with almost woody stock and many ascending stems. 

 Leaves hairy and green on both sides, oblong-lanceolate, very 

 shortly petioled. Flowers pale yellow, in loose whorled spikes. 

 Calyx-teeth hairy, triangular, half length of the tube. 



