SCUTELLARIA SKULLCAP. 



213 



ing, 3-lobed. Stamens 4, in pairs under the upper lip, the upper pair 

 longer. 



Nepeta Cataria Linne. — Catnip, Catmint. 



Description. — A perennial herb 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves ovate-cordate, 

 acuminate, coarsely serrate, petiolate, whitish downy underneath. Flow- 

 ers whitish, dotted with pur- 

 ple, in compact cymes, form- 

 ing short, oblong spikes at 

 the ends of the branches; 

 they appear in summer and 

 autumn. 



Habitat. — In waste places 

 about dwellings ; naturalized 

 from Europe. 



Nepeta G I ec ho m a 

 Bentham. — Ground Ivy, Gill- 

 over-the-ground. 



Description. — A more or 

 •less hairy perennial herb, 

 creeping and rooting at the 

 base. Leaves orbicular or 

 reniform, crenate, petiolate, 

 green both sides. Flowers 

 blue, in axillary whorls of 

 about 6, appearing early in 

 spring and summer. 



Habitat. — In waste places 

 about dwellings ; naturalized from Europe. 



Part Used. — The herb of both species — not official. 



Constituents. — Their only important constituents are their volatile oils. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Catnip is chiefly used for its stimulant 

 effect in the flatulent colic of infants, and, in hot infusion, to promote 

 menstruation. Ground ivy formerly had some reputation in catarrhal 

 affections and in pulmonary consumption, but without substantial founda- 

 tion, for there is no evidence to support the idea that it possesses prop- 

 erties essentially different from those of the labiate generally. 



Fig. 145.— Nepeta Glechoma. 



SCUTELLARIA. —Skullcap. 



Scutellaria lateriflora Linne.— Skullcap. 



Description, — Calyx bell-shaped, 2-lipped, the lips entire, the upper 

 one with a helmet-like appendage on the back, and closed after flowering. 

 Corolla 2- lipped, the upper lip vaulted, the lower dilated, spreading, con- 

 vex, notched at the apex. Stamens 4, ascending under the upper lip. 



