266 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
either steeped in ale, or as a substitute for tea. It is a dwarf perennial, growing close to the ground, and flower¬ 
ing in succession nearly all the summer. The colour of the flowers varies from a rich deep blue to lilac, pink, 
purple, and white. 
GENUS N. 
THE BASTARD BALM. (Melittis, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx campanulate, large, with three or four lobes. Corolla twice as long as the calyx, the limb dilated, spreading; 
the upper lip flat, entire; the lower three-lobed ; the lobes large and unequal. ( Lindley .) 
Description, Sec. —There is only one British species in this genus. Melittis is derived from the same 
Greek word as Melissa. 
1.— THE COMMON BASTARD BALM. (Melittis melissophyllum, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 636, and t. 577 ; 2nd ed., t. 850, and 851 ; and our fig. 1, in PI. 51. 
Specific Character. —Calyx with three unequal, partly notched lobes. (Smith.) 
Description, &c.— This very beautiful plant, and a variety of it, are only found in moist shady situations in 
the south and south-west of England, where they flower in May and June. The species has rather an unpleasant 
smell when fresh, but when dry its odour resembles that of new hay. It is a perennial, and it is often cultivated 
in gardens where the soil is moist, but it will not live in a dry situation exposed to the sun. 
GENUS NI. 
THE HEMP NETTLE. (Galeopsis, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx campanulate, five-toothed, spiny. Corolla longer than the calyx ; with the limb bilabiate ; the upper lip vaulted 
and crenate ; the lower with three unequal lobes. Anthers opening with transverse valves, hairy on their margins. (Lindley.) 
Description, &c. —The plants belonging to this genus are all annuals, with very ornamental flowers. The 
name of Galeopsis signifies “ like a weasel,” and it alludes to the shape of the flower. The genus is in the 
same Linnman class and order as most of the other Labiatae. 
1. —THE COMMON HEMP NETTLE. (Galeopsis tetrahtt, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 207 ; 2nd ed., t. 830. 
Specific Character. —Stem bristly, swelled below the joints. Corolla twice the length of the calyx ; upper lip nearly straight. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This plant is less ornamental than the other species. The flowers, which are produced 
in August, are of a pale pinkish white ; the stem and leaves are covered with stiff bristles, and the whole plant 
has a very disagreeable smell when bruised. The Hemp Nettle is a troublesome w T eed in cultivated ground, on a 
dry gravelly soil. 
