MELITTIS. Linn. Gen. PL D idynamia G ymnospermia.
Calyx tubo corollæ amplior. Corolla labium fuperius planum ; labium
inferius crenatum. Antheris cruciatæ.
Rati Syn. Gen. 24. Suffrutices et Herbæ V ert icillatæ.
MELITTIS Melijfophyllim. Limt. Sp. PI. cd. 3. p. 832. Syfi. Vegetal, el. 14. Murr. p. 544, Scot.
Garn. cd. 2. p. 421. Hudfi. Fl. Angl. ed. 2, p. 264. Common Ballard.
Balm. Jacy. FI. Außr. v. 1. p. 18. tab. 26.
MELISSOPHYLLUM. Flail. Hiß. n. 244.
LAMIUM montanum MelUfe folio. Baub. Pin. p. 231.
MELISSA Fuchlii. Hort. Èyft. vim. O i l 6. fol. y. f i 3.
Baume with white and with purple flowers.
Archangel, Baflard-Baulm. Rail Syn. ed. 3
flore albo et flore pUrpureo. Ballard
Ger. cmac. p. 690. ƒ 3. 3. Baulm-leav'd
p. 242.
MELISSOPHYLLUM Fuchfii. Unpleafant Baulme. Park. Tb. p. 41, f . 4.
K/VUIA. pcrcuuis, u u iu ia .
CAULES fefquipedales et ultra, ere£H,‘ tetragonl, hir-
futi, ad bafin ramis paucis inftru&i.
FOLIA oppofita, petiolata, övata, fubacuta* inæqua-
liter. et obtufiufcule ferrata, villofiufcula, ru-
gofa, petioli canaliculati, hirfuti, baft con-
nati.
FLORES magni, fpeciofi, odorati, pedunculati, ver-
ticillati, fubfecundi, verticillis dimidiatis, fub-
" .fexfloris.
PEDUNCULI teretes, hirfutuli, longitudine petio-
lorum.
CALYX-: Perianthium monophyllum, inflato-ven-,
tricofum, bilabiatum, venpfum, glabrum,
venis hirfutulis, divifuris labiorum perquam
inconftantibus, fig. l.
COROLLAmonopetala,ringens,villofula, alba; Tubus
calyce longior, multoque anguftior, Labium
fuperius ere&um, fubrotundum, integrum,
inferius trifidum, laciniis obtufis, intermedia
majori, fubrotundo, purpureo, margine cre-
; nulato, albo,.fig. 2.
STÀMINA : Filamenta 4, alba, villofa, corolla
breviora; A ntheræ flavefeentes, fig. 3.
PISTILLUM: G ermen obtufum, quadrifidum, villo-
fum ; Stylus filiformis, , longitudine fta-
minum; Stigma, bifidum, acutum, fig. 4.
SEMINA 4 in fundo calycis, nigricantia, fig. 5.
\ ROOT perennial; fibrous. \ STALKS a foot and a half high* or more, upright*
, fquare, ftrongly hair’d, furnifhed at the bafe
with a few branches.
• LEAVES oppofite, Handing on footftalks, ovate*
! fomewhat pointed, unevenly and bluntly
[ ferrated,'(lightly villous, wrinkled, footftalks
\ concave above* hirfute, united at the bafe.
j FLOWERS large, fhewy, odoriferous, {landing on
footftalks, growing chiefly to one fide, in half
whorls about fix flowers together.
[ FLOWER-STALKS round, fomewhat hairy, the
1 length of the leaf-ftalks.
1 CA L YX : a Perianthium of one leaf, fomewhat
inflated and bellying out, two-lip’d, veiny*
fmooth, except the veins which are fomewhat
hairy, the divifions of the lips.altoge-
) ther inconftant, fig. 1.
i COROLLA monopetalous* ringent, {lightly villous*
white; Tube longer than the calyx and much
) narrower, upper lip ere£l, roundilh, entire*
! lower lip trifid, fegments obtufe, the middle
one largeft, purple, the . margin finely
. .notched, and white, fig. 2.
) STAMINA: four Filaments, white, villous, Ihorter
) than the corolla; A n th ers yellowifli, 3*
) PISTILLUM: G ermen obtufe, quadrifid, villous 5
) Style filiform, the length o f the ftamina;
f Stigma bifid and pointed, fig. 4.
! SEEDS four, in the bottom of the calyx, of a blackifh
i • colour, fig. 5.
The Melittis Meliffbphylhm, a plant common to many parts o f Europe, has hitherto been difeovered in the
more weftern parts of this kingdom only, particularly Pembrokefhire, Devonlhire, and Hammhire, m lome 01
which counties it grows in great abundance ; Dr. Wavell has obferved it in various places about- Barnltaple .
in his company, I gathered it at ..the foot o f a hedge by the road fide near, the hofpitable manhon 01
s'1 — ■ - Chichester, Efq: of Hall, about two miles from that towm It is moft commonly found in woods*
or fituations fomewhat ftiady. ’ ' • , . , , , „ . .
It was not probable that a plant of fuch lingular beauty fliould be fuffered to blollom m its native woods,
unfeen; accordingly, we now find it in moft o f our nurferies, and gardens of the curious, yet not fo generally
as it merits. Moft authors deferibe the Melittis as having an unpleafant fmell; the frefh herb when bruifed
partakes of the agreeable feent of Balm, and the difagreeable fmell of ftinking Horehound; dried, it lofes the
unpleafant part, and becomes delightfully fragrant; the flowers when they firft open have appeared to us to
be fweetly odoriferous, we fay appeared to us, becaufe as they are not deferibed as fuch, others may not have
found them fo, for we have obferved an unaccountable variation in the perceptibility of fmells in different
perfons, we know feveral who can difcQver no feent in the flowers of thePerfian Iris; the general acutenefs of
whofe olfactories cannot be called in queftion. _ .
Clusius obferved this plant in'its wild ftate with white flowers; he mentions alfo a variety of it in all
refpeCts fmaller; whether this be a variety differing as we have obferved the Melijfa grandflora to do, or whether
it be a fpecies, we muft leave to the determination of others: in the Apothecaries garden at Chelfea, we have
feen a Melittis anfwering to Clusius’s defeription, the flowers of whien'were not more than half the fize of
the Devonlhire one, of a pale red colour, correfponding more with Jacquin’s figure, the bloflbms o f which
are not fo large as thofe of our plant. ; .
From a gland which encircles the bafe of the germen there is much honey fecreted; hence thé plant accords
with its name Melittis, hence it-becomes the refort of bees, . #
The cruciform appearance of the Antherae ought not to form any part of the generic charaCler, being, as
Profeflor Jacquin has obferved, common to many of the didynamous plants.
There is no difficulty attends the cultivation of this charming hardy perennial; planted in almoft any foil,
provided it be moderately moift and fomewhat ftiady, it will flourim; it increafes by roots and feeds, and
may be readily propagated by parting the one or fowing the other in autumn.