102 WILD FLOWERS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 
carpels 2, united into a 4-celled seedcase and a long style divided at the apex into 2 stigmas ; fruit 
of 4 little nuts (cocoa). Herbs with square stems and opposite leaves. 
Wild Basil. (Clinopddium vulgdre. Linn.) — The only British species. As just 
described. The flowers are f-i inch long, of a purplish-rose colour, and are densely packed 
together in circles in the axils of the leaves (false whorls) round the stem and terminating it ; the 
long bristly bracts are covered with white hairs, and so give a very soft grey look to the flower- 
clusters. The stem is usually 1-2 feet high, branched, and densely hairy; and the leaves are 
egg-shaped (ovate), slightly toothed, on short stalks, and soft and hairy. The whole plant 
is aromatic and fragrant. ( Calamintha Clinopodium. Benth. ; Calamintha vulgare. Linn.) 
{Plate 35. 
Common. On banks, waysides, and in dry bushy places ; distributed throughout England, more 
rare in Scotland and Ireland. July — September. Perennial. 
XIII. CALAMINT. (CALAMINTHA. Linn.) — Flowers in small clusters with or without a 
common stalk, in the axils of the leaves (false whorls), with a few minute pointed bracts 
at the base not forming an involucre round the flower-clusters as in the last genus. Calyx of 
5 sepals, united into a 13-ribbed tube, and separating into 2 lips (bilabiate), the upper lip 3-toothed 
and the lower 2-toothed, inserted below the seedcase (inferior) ; corolla of 5 petals, united into 
a straight tube and separating into 2 lips (bilabiate), the upper lip erect and hardly arched, and 
the lower spreading and 3-lobed, inserted below the seedcase (hypogynous) ; stamens 4, in unequal 
pairs (didynamous), included in the upper lip of the corolla, each pair of anthers approaching one 
another, inserted in the corolla-tube (epi-petalous) ; carpels 2, united into a 4-celled seedcase 
and a long style divided at the apex into 2 stigmas ; fruit of 4 little nuts (cocca). Herbs with square 
stems and opposite egg-shaped (ovate), toothed (serrate) leaves. 
(1) Basil Thyme. (Calamintha A'cinos.) — Flower-clusters not stalked ; flowers violet ; calyx 
inflated on the under side. 
Flower clusters all stalked. 
(2) Common Calamint. (Calamin'tha montana.) — Calyx-teeth fringed with long hairs; 
central lobe of lower corolla-lip long ; leaves toothed. 
(3) Lesser Calamint. (Calamin'tha Ne'peta.) — Flower-clusters forked; calyx-teeth fringed 
with short hairs ; leaves indistinctly toothed. 
(4) Wood Calamint. (Calamin'tha grandiflora.) — Flower-clusters forked; all three lobes 
of lower corolla-lip about equal ; leaves sharply toothed. 
1. Basil Thyme. (Calamin'tha A'cinos. Clairv.) — As just described. The flowers 
are about \ inch long, of a beautiful violet-purple, the lower lip spotted with white and darker 
purple, 5-6 together, each on a short stalk, but without a common stalk, in clusters in the leaf-axils 
(false whorls) ; the calyx-tube is curved, pouched on the under side and contracted again at the 
throat ; the stem is 6-8 inches high, branched at the base ; and the leaves are egg-shaped (ovate), 
pointed, toothed (serrate), and shortly stalked. The whole plant is more or less hairy. 
( Calamintha arvensis. Lam.) 
Not uncommon. In dry places, waysides, banks, and fields ; sparingly distributed throughout 
England, rare in Scotland, and very rare in Ireland. July — August. Annual. 
2. Common Calamint. (Calamin'tha mont&na. Lam.) — Flowers nearly § inch long, 
light purple, the lower corolla-lip with darker markings, the central lobe much longer than the side 
ones, in few-flowered stalked clusters (cymes) in the axils of the leaves, forming a long i-sided 
