32 



The leaves are opposite and borne on stems, heart shaped or. oblong, 

 with an acute apex, 1 to 2i inches long, evenly and finely scalloped, 

 green above, beneath grayish-green with fine white hairs. The many- 

 flowered clusters appear from June to September, and are borne in 

 thick spikes 1 to 5 inches long at the top of the stems and branches. 

 The flowers are white or somewhat purple, two-lipped, the upper lip 



two-cleft, the lower one 

 three-lobed and sometimes 

 spotted with red, the mid- 

 dle lobe broadest and 

 round-toothed. 



Parts used. — The flower- 

 ing tops and leaves are to 

 be collected when the plant 

 is in flower and carefully 

 dried. The}' have a strong 

 mint-like odor and a bitter 

 taste. The coarser stems 

 and branches should be 

 rejected. 



Catnip is used in de- 

 rangements of women, as 

 a mild .stimulant and tonic, 

 and has a quieting effect on 

 the nervous .system. 



Imports and prices. — Ca- 

 taria or catnip is imported 

 in but small quantities. 

 The price paid for the 

 flowering tops and leaves 

 is from 2 to 8 cents per 

 pound. 



HOARHOUND. 



Marrubium vulgare L. 



Other common names. — 

 Hound.sbene, marvel, mar- 

 rube. (Fig. 21.) 



Range and habitat. — 

 Hoarhound has been naturalized from Europe, and has escaped 

 from gardens [ n this country, being found now rather abundantly 

 in dry .sand}- or stony soil in waste places, pastures, fields, along 

 roadsides, and near dwellings, from Maine to South Carolina. Texas, 

 and westward to California and Oregon. It is very abundant in pas- 

 tures in California, Oregon, and in limited areas in Indiana, Mis- 



Fig. 20. — Catnip (yiptta cataria L.). 



