Bergamot

ber'ga-mot, a small tree with leaves and flowers like those of the bitter orange and with a fruit like the lemon. Bergamot grows chiefly in Italy. Oil of bergamot is obtained by grinding the rind of the fruit. It is of a limpid, greenish-yellow color, with a strong, pleasant, lemon odor, and a bitter taste. It is used in the manufacture of perfumery and as a flavor. The "wild bergamot" of the American botanist is a square-stemmed, aromatic herb of the mint family. The blossoms are collected in a sort of head. The corollas are deeply two-lipped, about an inch in length. They vary in color from purple to bright crimson, lilac, and rose red.