Am.  Jour.  Pbarm.  : 
March,  1&93.  / 
Local  Indigenous  Plants. 
in  wet  places,  and  its  large  white  flowers  are  very  suggestive  of  the  common 
name,  turtle  head.  The  old  Leptandra,  now  again  called  Veronica  Virginicat 
is  not  well  distributed  but  abundant  in  its  localities  ;  it  bears  little  resemblance 
to  true  veronicas,  being  very  tall,  leaves  arranged  in  whorls  and  many  spikes  of 
flowers  furnished  with  long  stamens  enclosed  by  a  short,  tubular  corolla, 
while  veronicas  proper  have  usually  small,  short  stamens,  and  spreading  corolla. 
V.  officinalis  is  about  the  only  other  native  of  which  we  have  any  preparation. 
In  this  order  we  have  several  genera  that  have  been  proven  parasitic  by  roots, 
and  in  this  connection  Gerardia,  Buchnera,  Schwalbea  and  Castilleia,  are 
worthy  of  closer  investigation. 
Among  the  parasitic  orobanchaceae  the  beechdrops  or  cancer  root  {Epiphegics 
Virginiana)  is  suggestive  of  real  worth,  with  little  substantiation,  but  as  a  root 
parasite  it  is  a  success.  Three  other  genera  are  found  in  these  limits,  of  which 
two  are  native,  namely  :  Co?iopholis,  on  roots  of  trees  forming  large  masses  of 
flowering  stems,  and  Aphyllon,  also  on  trees,  but  with  only  one  or  two  single 
flowered  stems.  The  introduced  one  is  Orobanche,  found  principally  on  clover 
roots  or  fields,  though  we  have  found  one  growing  on  the  roots  of  common 
house  geranium. 
Of  the  order  Bignoniacese,  Catalpa  bignonioides  is  used  to  a  limited  extent 
in  medicine,  but  is  more  valuable  as  an  ornamental  tree. 
Verbena  hastata  and  V.  urticcsfolia,  of  the  order  Verbenaceae,  are  noticeable 
as  having  some  medicinal  virtues  and  also  as  frequent  wayside  weeds  of  little 
notice  except  for  the  deep  blue  flowers  of  the  first  species.  The  leaves  are 
usually  covered  with  a  whitish  substance  that  renders  them  interesting  to  the 
student  of  lower  forms  of  vegetation,  but  unsightly  to  casual  observers  of 
nature. 
The  order  Labiatse  ranks  well  in  number  of  genera  and  species  with  other 
large  orders,  while  for  odor  it  stands  among  the  first. 
The  first  we  call  your  attention  to  are  pepper-  and  spear-mint,  Mentha  piperita 
and  M.  viridis.  They  are  common  along  water-courses,  and  easily  distin- 
guished after  a  little  comparison.  Collinsonia  canadensis,  or  horse  balm,  is  a 
large  coarse  plant,  with  peculiar  yellow  flowers  in  a  very  loose  panicle,  which 
serves  to  diffuse  the  odor  which  some  people  claim  to  be  lemon-like.  Lycopus 
virginicus,  bugle  weed,  is  abundant  along  ditches,  unattractive,  and  has  an 
odor  peculiar  to  water  plants.  Cunila  mariana,  or  dittany,  is  a  favorite  herb 
among  the  country  folks,  for  all  sorts  of  teas.  It  is  truly  a  dry  woods  plant, 
and  its  neatly  arranged  purplish  blossoms  are  very  attractive  to  all  people. 
The  odor  is  pleasantly  camphoraceous. 
Origanum  vulgare  and  Melissa  officinalis  are  found  in  scattered  locations. 
For  Hedeoma  pulegioides,  or  pennyroyal,  we  must  hunt  in  the  dry  fields,  and 
even  then  look  closely  to  keep  out  its  counterpart,  Isanthus  ccerulcus,  which  it 
closely  resembles  except  in  the  degree  of  odor. 
The  monardas  were  undoubtedly  called  horse  mints  on  account  of  their 
"strong"  odor,  which,  however,  is  not  disagreeable  in  any  of  the  species,  but 
just  intense. 
M.  punctata  is  fondest  of  Jersey  sands,  and  it  is  a  relief  for  the  eye  to  meet  a 
clump  of  this  in  bloom.  Nepeta  Calaria,  catnip,  and  JV.  Glec/wma,  ground  ivy, 
are  not  native,  but  are  abundant  and  useful.  The  same  may  be  said  of  hore- 
hound,  Marrubium  vulgare  and  of  Lconurus  cardiaca,  motherwort,  the  useful- 
