﻿( 86 .) 



BA LLO'T A* *. 



Linncan Class and Order. Didyna'mia f, Gymnospe'rmia J. 



Natural Order. Labia'tas, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 110. — Sm. Gram, 

 of Bot. p. 99. Eng. FI. v. iii. p. 63. — Lindl. Syn. p. 196 ; Introd. 

 to Nat. Syst. p. 239. — Bentham, in Bot. Register (1829). — Rich, by 

 Macgilliv. p.439. — Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 528. — Verticilla'TjE of 

 Ray, and of Linnaeus. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of 1 sepal (monosepalous), 

 tubular, oblong, with 5 angles, 10 ribs, and 1 0 furrows, permanent ; 

 limb somewhat salver-shaped, dilated, spreading, plaited, regular, 

 with 5 pointed teeth. Corolla (fig. 2.) of 1 petal (monopetalous) , 

 gaping (ringent) ; tube cylindrical, as long as the calyx ; upper lip 

 upright, egg-shaped, concave, notched ; lower lip 3-lobed, the 

 middle lobe largest and cleft. Filaments (fig. 3.) 4, two longer 

 than the other two, awl-shaped, directed towards the upper lip (see 

 fig. 2). Anthers oblong, of 2 spreading valves. Germen (fig. 4.) 

 small, 4-lobed. Style (fig. 4.) thread-shaped, as long as the stamens. 

 Stigma slender, cleft. Seeds (fig. 6.) 4, egg-shaped, in the bottom 

 of the somewhat hardened calyx. 



Distinguished from other genera in the same class and order, by 

 the 5-cleft, nearly regular calyx, with 10 furrows, and the vaulted, 

 hairy, upper lip of the corolla. 



Linnaeus observes, that Balldta has the involucrum of Clinopo- 

 dium, the calyx of Marrubium, and the blossom of Stachys, but 

 is more nearly allied to Marrubium. 



One species British. 



BALLO'TA Nl'GRA. Black Horehound. Henbit. 



Spec. Char. Leaves egg-shaped, undivided, serrated. Calyx 

 funnel-shaped, abrupt, with short spreading teeth. 



Engl. Bot. t. 46. — Linn. Spec. PI. ( 1 st ed.) p. 582.— Iluds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) 

 p. 260 — Sm. FI. Brit. v. ii. p. 635. Eng. FI. v. iii. p. 101. — With. (7th ed.) 

 v. iii. p. 716. — Lindl. Syn. p. 201. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 274. — Lightf. FI. Scot, 

 v. i. p. 314. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 187. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 131. — Purt. Midi. 

 FI. v. i. p.274 — Relh. FI. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 243. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 184. — 

 Grev. FI. Edin. p. 132. — Johnston’s FI. of Berwick, v. i. p. 133. — FI. Devon, 

 pp. 100 & 145. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p. 169. — Bab. FI. Bath. p. 39. — Mack. Catal. 

 of PI. of Irel. p. 56 — Ballote feet id a, Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 379. —Ballote, 

 Ray’s Syn. p. 244. — Marrubium nigrum , Johnson’s Gerarde, p. 701. 



Localities. — W aste places, and under hedges. Common. 



Perennial. — Flowers in July and August. 



Stem 2 or 3 feet high, upright, branched, leafy, brownish, and 

 clothed with fine, recurved hairs. Leaves petiolated (on leaf-stalks) , 

 wrinkled, lower ones heart-shaped, crenate (scolloped), upper ones 

 egg-shaped, strongly, and nearly equally serrated. Whorls axillary. 



Fig. 1. Calyx and Bracteas. — Fig. 2. Corolla. — Fig. 3. Upper Lip of the 

 Corolla, and the 4, didynamous Stamens. — Fig. 4. Germen and Style. — Fig. 5. 

 Calyx, after the seed is ripe. — Fig. 6. A Seed. 



* Ballote, Gr. from Ballo, Gr. to reject, on account of its disagreeable 

 smell. Dr. Hooker. 



f See Lamium album, fol. 31, note f- t See fol. 31, note }. 



