78 FAMILIAR WILD I LOWERS. 



blossoms are very likely to completely overlook tlie purple 

 spike of the stachys. At the same time, these purple 

 flower-heads, sombre as they are, have a quiet beauty of 

 their own, and serve to light up many a shady recess in 

 the cover-side. All cannot be equally attractive and pro- 

 minent, and the stachys fills its lowly place as well in 

 its degree as any of its more brilliantly-attired brethren. 



It seems to have been a matter of some difficulty for 

 our plant to settle down into its true botanical position 

 and relationship. Haller classed it as a Cardiaca, and Ray 

 and several other botanists put it in the genus Galeopsis, 

 or the hemp-nettles. The genus in which it is now 

 placed derives its name from the Greek word for a spike 

 or ear of corn, a name given from the general upright 

 and spicate character of the inflorescence of the plants in 

 the genus. The specific name clearly indicates the sylvan 

 shades in which the plant should be sought; another 

 species is the S. palustris, or marsh stachys, and a third 

 the S. arvensis, or stachys of the fields. 



The root-stock of the hedge stachys is perennial, and 

 throws off numerous creeping scions. The stem is up- 

 right, and rises to a height of some two or three feet. 

 Like most of the labiates, it is quadrangular, but its 

 interior, instead of being hollow, is filled with pith. The 

 stem branches a good deal, though the generally upright 

 character of the plant is preserved, and it is in most 

 specimens very hairy, and often more or less red in colour. 

 The branches are very similar in character to the main 

 stalk, and issue from it in pairs, placed opposite to each 

 other. The general effect of the whole plant is coarse 

 and hairy. The leaves are clothed with hairs, both on 

 their upper and under surfaces. The form of the foliage 



