WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 
stimulant, and for relieving cramps and sick stomachs, 
which children are prone to experience. It has a pleas- 
-ant taste, and there is no harm in nibbling its leaves as 
we do those of the Wintergreen. The erect and very, 
slender, leafy stalk of this annual herb is branching and 
hairy, and grows from six to eighteen inches high in 
‘dry, grassy fields and pastures. The small, strongly 
scented leaves are somewhat egg-shaped, tapering 
at the base into short stems, and their margins are 
scantily toothed. They occur in alternating, opposite 
pairs, which graduate in size as they mount the square 
stalk. The tiny, two-lipped, tubular, purple flowers 
are gathered in the axils of the leaves, and form 
long, slender, terminal spikes. The erect, upper lip is 
usually flat and notched, and the lower one is three- 
lobed and spreading. It is found from July to Septem- 
ber, from Canada to Florida, and westward to Nebraska 
and the Dakotas. 
SPEARRINT: SAGE OF BETHLEHEM. 
GARDEN MINT 
Méntha spicata. Mint Family. 
We have inherited nearly all of our Mints from 
‘Europe. Their strongest family traits consist of square 
stems, and opposite, simple, and odorous leaves. They 
are perennial herbs, with usually small-clustered, tubular 
flowers. The Spearmint grows commonly in wet 
places near cultivated grounds, where it has escaped 
from gardens, and may be found in blossom from July 
to September. This generally smooth, erect, and 
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