4-6 



WHIRLED MINTS. 



PL. XX. 



20. BROOK MINT. 



THIS Mint grows about three feet in height; the ftalk is fquare, up- 

 right, branched, and hairy, turning from a dark green to a reddifh colour 

 as the fummer advances ; the leaves ftand on footftalks, they are broad, 

 ovate, and pointed, fharply ferrated, and are hairy underneath, but 

 almoft fmooth on the upper fides; the nerves are remarkably ftrong and 

 branched, turning red towards autumn. The clufters of flowers are lateral 

 and feffile towards the top of the ftalks, but the bottom clufters are pedun- 

 culated, (landing on one common footftalk, as exprefled in the plate. The 

 bloflbms are of a very pale pink colour, and are fhorter than the ftamens. 



This plant has a coarfe, favage afpeft, not unlike the common fig- 

 wort: it has a heavy mixed goatilh fmell of fpear-mint. 



This Mint has three varieties. 



Variety the firft — Brook-Mint, refembling common calamint in face, 

 habit, and fmell. 



Variety the fecond — Brook-Mint, with broad round leaves at bottom, and 

 concave ovate leaves on the upper part of the ftalks — the ftamens fhorter 

 than the blofioms ; the fmell is very pleafant, and like that of lemon-thyme. 



Variety the third— Brook-Mint, with roundifti hoary leaves. The ftalk 

 branched, and the branches are upright, and equal in height to the main 

 ftalk; they are hairy and red, having a ftrong volatile fmell of marum. 



The firft of thefe Mints grows in Locks-brook between Wefton and 

 Twerton ; the /S variety I found in wet meadows near Salilbury; the y 

 variety grows in King's-Mead near Bath; the $ in ponds at South- 

 Wraxall, Wilts, called Wraxall-Ponds. 



They all blow in Auguft. 



