SOLANACEAE. 365 



one. Stamens 4, erect and nearly equal. Nutlets smooth. (Ancient Greek 

 name.) 



Flower-whorls in the leaf axils, distinct. 



Herbage commonly light green; branches leafy to the ends; calyx-teeth similar and 



equal or nearly so 1. M. canadensis. 



Herbage somewhat grayish; leaves toward the end of the branches reduced and incon- 

 spicuous; calyx-teeth dissimilar, the 2 lower lanceolate-subulate 2. M. pulegium. 



Flower-whorls in terminal spikes or some in the upper leaf axils. 



Leaves petioled; spikes thick, dense or little interrupted 3. M. piperita. 



Leaves sessile or nearly so; spikes slim, mostly interrupted 4. M. spicata. 



1. M. canadensis L. Title-mint. Perennial by suckers; stems often 

 several ft. long, simple or much branched; herbage tomentose-pubescent, 

 sometimes almost hoary, more commonly greenish; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 

 sharply serrate, tapering at base into a petiole, iy 2 to 2 in. long; whorls 

 of flowers often shorter than the petioles of the leaves; calyx pubescent, its 

 teeth 14 to % as long as the tube. — (Hedeoma purpurea Kell. Micromeria 

 purpurea Gray.) 



Common in marshes: lower Sacramento and lower San Joaquin; San Fran- 

 cisco Bay. Aug. -Sept. Cymes sometimes raised out of the axils on peduncles. 



2. M. pulegium L. Pennyroyal. Stems 1 to 2 ft. long, erect or pros- 

 trate and rooting at the joints; herbage pubescent with short white hairs; 

 leaves elliptic- to oblong-ovate, serrate or entire, petioled, % to 1 in. long; 

 whorls dense, the leaves smaller or inconspicuous towards the ends of the 

 branches; 3 upper calyx-teeth triangular, acute; 2 lower lanceolate-subulate, 

 ciliate-bristly. 



Introduced European mint: Sonoma Co.; Marin Co.; islands of the lower 

 San Joaquin. 



3. M. piperita L. Peppermint. Stems erect, strict and unbranched be- 

 low the terminal inflorescence; herbage glabrous; leaves ovate-oblong to 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, sparsely and sharply serrate, distinctly petioled; 

 spikes dense, scarcely interrupted; calyx resinous-glandular; corolla white 

 with a pink tinge. 



Along streamlets in low fields: Berkeley; Haywards; Alvarado. Sept. 

 Naturalized from Europe. 



4. M. spicata L. Spearmint. Similar to the preceding; leaves sessile 

 or subsessile; flower-whorls crowded; spikes very narrow, leafless, commonly 

 interrupted; calyx campanulate, its teeth subulate, nearly as long as tube. — 

 (M. viridis L.) 



Rather common in wet places: Berkeley; Napa Valley; Lake Co. Natural- 

 ized from Europe. 



SOLANACEAE. Nightshade Family. 



Ours herbs with alternate leaves. Flowers complete and regular. Ped- 

 uncles terminal or axillary, bearing an umbel, cyme or panicle, or a solitary 

 flower. Calyx 5-cleft or toothed, usually persistent. Corolla 5-lobed, the 

 lobes valvate or imbricate and mostly plicate in the bud. Stamens 5, inserted 

 on the corolla and alternate with its divisions. Ovary superior, 2-celled ; 

 style 1 ; stigma entire or sometimes 2-lobed. Fruit a berry or capsule. — 

 Datura has a falsely 4-celled capsule. Xicotiana glauca is a soft-woody shrub. 

 (A family distinguished on the whole by its poisonous or acrid properties; 

 includes such cultivated plants as Chilies, Cayenne Pepper, Tomato, Potato, 

 Ground Cherry, Bitter-sweet, Belladonna, and Petunia.) 



