SWEET HERBS 



Stem. — Square, one to three feet high. 



Leaves. — Two to three inches long, wrinkled, veiny, oblong or lanceo- 

 late, sharply serrate, acute, punctate with minute oil-globules. 



Flowers. — Small, pale-purple or whitish, forming thick, dense, obtuse 

 spikes, both terminal and lateral. Frequently the lateral overtop the 

 terminal. 



Calyx. — ^Tubular, five-toothed. 



Corolla. — Purplish, tubular, border four-cleft. 



Stamens. — Four. 



Ovary. — Four-parted, developing into four nut-like akenes. 



There is no diflSculty in recognizing Peppermint, if one chews 

 the leaves, for the intensely pungent, aromatic taste resembling that 

 of pepper is unmistakable, and curiously enough it is accompanied 

 with a peculiar sensation of coldness. 



Peppermint ranks as one of the most important plants in the 

 production of essential oils. In the United States it is cultivated 

 in central New York, northern Indiana, and southern Michigan 

 and is regarded as a valuable crop. The plants are cut when just 

 coming into bloom and are cured like hay; they are then taken 

 to the stills where the oil is extracted by distillation with steam. 

 One well-grown acre will produce sixty, pounds of oil. Peppermint 

 oil is used in confectionery, very extensively in medicines, also for 

 the production of menthol and the cordial creme de menthe. 



SPEARMINT 



Minlha viridis. 



A perennial by leafy stolons, growing in wet places in cultivated dis- 

 tricts. Native both to Europe and Asia and naturalized in the United 

 States. Summer. 



Stem. — Square, one to two feet high, from creeping rootstocks. 



Leaves. — Opposite, sessile, two to three inches long, wrinkled, veiny, 

 oblong or lance-ovate, coarsely serrate, rounded at base, acute. 



Flowers. — Small, pale-purple or whitish, clustered in axillary whorls, 

 forming slender, mostly interrupted spikes both terminal and lateral. 



Calyx. — Tubular, five-toothed. 



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