ON THE ONION FAMILY 



we reflect that the mints are a rather numerous 

 family — that fact by itself proving their tendency 

 to variation. 



Among the mints that I have worked on 

 recently are species from South America that 

 resemble the peppermint yet are in some respects 

 distinct. An unnamed species with a tendency to 

 cling to the ground more closely than other mints 

 and growing so rapidly as soon to cover a large 

 surface gives considerable promise. 



A species said to be hardy, sent by my collector 

 from the mountains of Southern Chile, has some- 

 what the fragrance of the native peppermint. The 

 yerba huena (Micromeria douglassi) is a common 

 little trailing plant in the red wood forests, some- 

 times growing also among shrubs and along the 

 edge of fields. It has sweet-scented, round leaves, 

 and small, pale, insignificant, purplish flowers. 



This plant is fairly constant in any given 

 locality, but specimens from different regions vary 

 a good deal, some being rather packed growers 

 while others run out to great lengths, with long, 

 runner-like branches. A species of this plant of 

 exactly the same flavor, but growing as a shrub, 

 with brilliant fuchsia-like flowers, has been sent 

 me from the high mountains of Chile. These evi- 

 dently sprang from one original ancestor, but in 

 our California varieties it is an insignificant trail- 



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