MINT NOTES 



113 



since have held a similar view. For those who wish to differentiate between them, Grenier 

 & Godron (1850, 651) provide the following succinct distinction : M. aquatica " var. 

 genuina " having leaves " munies de poils epars ou presque glabres," and var. hirsuta, " cou- 

 vertes de longs poils hlancs presque tomenteuses." Such a distinction is easy when extremes 

 are handled, but the bulk of the material lies between the two. I regard var. hirsuta as 

 merely a hirsute form of M. aquatica. / 



(c) var. tomentosa Sole (1798, 55, no fig.). 



" Mentha spicis glomeratis, caule erecto villoso non ramoso, foliis cordato-ovatis 

 serratis petiolatis, incanis, mollioribus, staminihus corolla brevioribus : odore aroma- 

 tico." 



This variety seems to have been largely neglected, perhaps due to its secluded position 

 at the end of Sole's fine book. There are several authentic specimens, those at the British 

 Museum and the Linnean Society being apparently the same sort of mint, and no doubt 

 from the same habitat. I have been unable to find any good distinction from var. hirsuta. 

 The leaves may be a trifle softer but this feature is difficult of assessment when a specimen 

 is stuck down. Sole's specimens are rather paler green in colour, but this may be due 

 to difiference in drying conditions. I regard var. tomentosa as a softly hairy form of var. 

 hirsuta, the two being questionably differentiable. 



(d) var. chaixii Timbal-Lagrave (1860, 332). 



. . . leaves " couverte surtout en dessous de poils blancs gros et brillants, ce qui 

 ny a lieu ni dans I'hirsuta ni dans V aquatica.'' 



This variety, whose additional characters are a simple, hirsute stem, with elongate- 

 oval, acute, basally subcordate leaves with fine and unequal serratures, is characterised 

 chiefly by the long, brilliantly white hairs of the leaves. I have seen no British examples 

 that answer exactly to the description, but they are quite likely to occur, and this variety 

 is included here as perhaps representing the extreme of hairiness in the water mint 

 group. 



(e) var. grandidentata (Strail) Briquet (1891, 78). 

 M. grandidentata Strail (1887, 96) 



According to Briquet's description, which follows Strail closely, this variety is a 

 very hirsute form, distinguished by leaves little longer than broad with deep, regular, sharp 

 serratures. I possess specimens from the periphery of Braunton Burrows, v.c. 4, which 

 can be named as this variety, which I regard merely as a form of var. hirsuta with the 

 above-mentioned leaf shape and serrature characters. 



(f ) var. denticulata (Strail) H. Braun (1890, 420). 



M. denticulata Strail (1887, 104) 



M. aquatica var. lupulina Briquet (1891, 79) 



Stengel . . . mit etwas zuriickgekriimmten Haaren bekleidet. Blatter oberseits 

 zerstreut behaart, unterseits hauptsdchlich an den Nerven behaart, alle gestielt, breit- 

 oval, am Grunde fast herzfdrmig, lang spitz nach vorn, 4 cm lang, 3 cm breit, am 

 Rande wenig tief gesdgt, mit spitzen und gendherten Sdgezdhnen. Kopfchen nicht 

 breit . . . 



This variety, which Braun regarded as a minor variant of his M. aquatica L. is 

 characterised by the many, small, sharp serratures. It is evidently only thinly hairy, and 

 Fraser was perhaps in error in describing the upper leaves as densely hairy with a grey 



