116 



R. A. GRAHAM 



am Rande fein und ofter stump flich gesdgt. Bliithenstiele und Kelche von kurzen 

 Hdrchen fldumich. Bliithenquirle ziemlich klein; Kelche oft violett iiberlaufen. Durch 

 die kleinen, diinnen, eilanzettlich geformten, spitzen Blatter und die kurz fldumiche 

 Behaarung der Bliithenstiele und des Kelches sehr ausgezeichnet. 



Evidently a weak, thinly hairy form, with a slender stem-; long -stalked, thin, ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute, small leaves, often with a long point; and with small capitula. Braun also 

 stresses the downy petioles and calyx. Fraser gives rather different leaf characters, des- 

 cribing the bases as rounded, which scarcely agrees with fast rhomhisch zugeschweift, nor 

 can his " broadly ovate " be found in the above text. I possess specimens from the 

 Oxted area, v.c. 16 (D. B. Fanshawe), which can be regarded as this variety, and it is 

 likely to be met with in damp habitats. 



Braun' s description follows that of Opiz generally, the latter referring to the leaves 

 as fere internodiis breviorihus - another indication of their small size. Braun no doubt 

 consulted Opiz' specimens, which are extant in Germany {Mit Ausnahme der Linneschen 

 Sole'schen und Hudson' schen Arten und Formen hahe ichfast alle nachfolgend hesprochenen 

 Menthen in Original-Exemplaren vorliegen gehaht - Braun (1890, 352)). 



(m) var. elongata Perard (1870, 340). 



Plante velue. Feuilles ovales-oblongues, larges, tres longuement petiolees. 



Evidently a hirsute form, with large, oval-oblong leaves on very long petioles. The 

 right hand specimen on sheet No. 15 of Sole's set of mints at the Linnean Society is 

 perhaps this variety, in a slightly smaller state but having noticeably long petioles. 



It would seem that var. ellipticifolia Loret (1880, 268) is nearly allied to var. elongata, 

 being, according to its description, a luxuriant water mint with broadly elliptic-oblong 

 leaves, nearly as broad towards the apex as towards the base, and with petioles that are as 

 long on the upper leaves as on the lower. As leaves of water mints develop, their petioles 

 usually become longer, and a water mint such as Loret' s variety would present rather 

 an unusual appearance. 



(n) var. major Sole (1798, 25-26, fig. 11). 



This well-known variety has usually been regarded as a luxuriant water mint with 

 a distinctly attenuate leaf base. It is probable that Sole had luxuriance in mind when 

 describing it. But close attention to his text, and examination of his specimens, indicate 

 that this variety comprises several forms, and can be taken as synonymous with M. aquatica 

 L. in an aggregate sense. 



In his description Sole says of the leaves . . . pointed, green, hairy, broad, ovate, 

 elliptical, and oblong; for nature sports much in the habit of this plant according to the variety 

 of soils and situations . . . at Twiford . . . with broad elliptical leaves almost smooth. . . . 

 about Bath . . . exceedingly hairy, with ovate leaves ... on our downs . . . procumbent, 

 hoary, and its leaves acuminated. The above words cover a wide range in leaf shape, 

 and this is borne out by the specimens. There are three at the Linnean Society, all 

 different from each other, and none agreeing with the figure. Two have leaves with 

 rounded bases, whereas in the figure they are distinctly attenuate. At the British Museum 

 there is a specimen that agrees well with the figure, and it is perhaps this one that Fraser 

 (1927, 228) means when he refers to type. It is thus possible to select a type specimen 

 to agree with the figure, and with the description in part, but to do so amounts, in my 

 opinion, to a denial of Sole's concept of his variety, which is, more than anything, merely 

 a strong, luxuriant plant. 



I cannot, therefore, regard var. major as a precise form of M. aquatica L., and propose 

 to relegate it to synonymy with this latter in its aggregate sense, 



