640 THE SCKOPHULARIA FAMILY. 



LV. THE LABIATE FAMILY. LABIATE. 



Herbs, or rarely shrubs, with quadrangular stems or branches, 

 and leaves always opposite. Flowers in the axils of the upper 

 leaves or bracts, rarely solitary in each axil, more frequently in 

 cymes, often so closely clustered that the two opposite cymes 

 appear like one whorl (sometimes more correctly called a verticil- 

 las ter or false whorl) of 6, 10, or more flowers, the whole forming 

 usually a terminal compound spike, raceme, or panicle (more 

 strictly termed a thyrsus). Besides the pair of floral leaves or 

 bracts under the whorls, there are often smaller bracts to each 

 flower in the whorl. Calyx 5-toothed, or rarely 2- or 3-lobed. 

 Corolla with a distinct tube and a more or less irregular 4- or 5- 

 lobed limb, usually forming two lips. Stamens 2 or 4, in 2 pairs. 

 Ovary 4-lobed, with one erect ovule in each lobe, and a single 

 style rising from the centre, and shortly cleft to the top into 2 

 stigmatic lobes. Fruit enclosed in the persistent calyx, separating 

 into 4 small one-seeded and seed- like nuts. 



A vast family, spread over every quarter of the globe, and readily 

 known from all Monojpetals, except the Borage family, by the 4-lobed 

 ovary and the 4 small nuts resembling naked seeds in the bottom of 

 the calyx ; and from Boraginece the Labiates are distinguished by their 

 opposite leaves, the want of the fifth stamen, and usually by the more 

 irregular flowers. Most of the species have also a peculiar strong 

 scent, either highly aromatic in many of our culinary potherbs, or as 

 disagreeable iu several species of Stachys. Distinct however as the 

 whole family is, the genera into which it has been divided are much 

 less so than could be wished. Those especially which are allied to 

 Stachys are separated from it by slight differences in the shape of the 

 calyx and corolla, which are not always easy to appreciate. 



r Stamens, at least the longer ones, longer than the upper lip of the 



.. j corolla 12 



i Stamens in pairs, or 2 only, under the upper lip of the corolla ... 2 



^-Stamens concealed within the tube of the corolla 1G 



r Calyx regularly 5-toothed. Stamens always 4 3 



2 <j Calyx distinctly 2-lipped, the upper teeth more or less united into an 

 L upper lip, the 2 lower ones united or distinct. Stamens 4 or 2 . . 9 

 Calyx with 15 parallel ribs. Outer stamens the shortest . 7. Nepeta. 

 . Calyx with 5 or 10 principal ribs or veins. Outer stamens the longest 4 

 r Lower leaves deeply divided. Upper lip of the corolla very hairy, al- 



4<j most woolly 15. Leonurus. 



I Lower leaves coarsely toothed. Upper lip of the corolla glabrous or hairy 5 





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