Lamiaceae

style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;"|Mint family
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;" | Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Lindley
Genera
See text

Lamiaceae or Labiatae, also known as the Mint family, is a family of plants in about 210 genera and some 3,500 species. It has been considered closely related to Verbenaceae but several recent phylogenetic studies have shown that numererous genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae, whereas the core genera of Verbenaceae are not closely related to Lamiaceae and are more closely related to other members of the Lamiales.

The plants are frequently aromatic in all parts and include many widely used culinary herbs, such as basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lavender, and perilla. Some are shrubs, but rarely trees or vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, owing not only to their aromatic qualities but also their ease of cultivation: these plants are among the easiest plants to propagate by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage, such as coleus. Others are grown for food purposes, but seeds are utilized instead of leaves, such as with chia.

The original family name is Labiatae, so given because the flowers typically have petals fused into an upper lip and a lower lip. Although this is still considered an acceptable alternate name, most botanists now use the name "Lamiaceae" in referring to this family.

The leaves emerge oppositely, each pair at right angles to the previous one (called decussate) or whorled.

The stems are frequently square in cross section, but this is not found in all members of the family, and is sometimes found in other plant families.

The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with 5 united petals, 5 united sepals. They are usually bisexual and verticillastrate (a flower cluster that looks like a whorl of flowers but actually consists of two crowded clusters).

Genera

Acanthomintha Achyrospermum Acinos Acrocephalus Acrotome Acrymia Aeollanthus Agastache Ajuga Ajugoides Alajja Alvesia Amethystea Anisochilus Anisomeles Antonina Asterohyptis Ballota Becium Benguellia Blephilia Bostrychanthera Bovonia Brazoria Bystropogon Calamintha Capitanopsis Capitanya Caryopteris Catoferia Cedronella Ceratanthus Chamaesphacos Chaunostoma Chelonopsis Cleonia Clinopodium Colebrookia Coleus* Collinsonia Colquhounia Comanthosphace Conradina Craniotome

Cuminia Cunila Cyclotrichium Cymaria Dauphinea Dicerandra Dorystaechas Dracocephalum Drepanocaryum Eichlerago Elsholtzia Endostemon Englerastrum Eremostachys Eriope Eriiophyton Eriopidion Eriothymus Erythrochlamys Eurysolen Fuerstia Galeopsis Geniosporum Glechoma Glechon Gomphostemma Gontscharovia Hanceola Haplostachys Haumaniastrum Hedeoma Hemiandra Hemigenia Hemizygia Hesperozygis Heterolamium Hoehnea Holocheila Holostylon Horminum Hoslundia Hymenocrater Hypenia Hypogomphia

Hyptidendron Hyptis Hyssopus Isodictyophorus Isodon Isoleucas Keiskea Kinostemon Kudrjaschevia Kurzamra Lagochilus Lagopsis Lallemantia Lamiastrum Lamiophlomis Lamium Lavandula Leocus Leonotis Leonurus Lepechinia Leucas Leucosceptrum Limniboza Lophanthus Loxocalyx Lycopus Macbridea Marmoritis Marrubium Marsypianthes Meehania Melissa Melittis Mentha Meriandra Mesona Metastachydium Microcorys Micromeria Microtoena Minthostachys Moluccella Monarda

Monardella Mosla Neoeplingia Neohyptis Nepeta (Catnip) Neustruevia Nosema Notochaete Ocimum Octomeron Ombrocharis Origanum Orthosiphon Otostegia Panzerina Paraeremostachys Paralamium Paraphlomis Peltodon Pentapleura Perilla Perovskia Perrierastrum Phlomis Phlomoides Phyllostegia Physostegia Piloblephis Pitardia Platostoma Plectranthus Pogogyne Pogostemon Poliomintha Prasium Prostanthera Prunella Pseuderemostachys Puntia Pycnanthemum Pycnostachys Renschia Rhabdocaulon Raphidion

Rhododon Rosmarinus Rostrinucula Roylea Rubiteucris Sabaudia Saccocalyx Salazaria Salvia Satureja Schizonepeta Scutellaria Sideritis Siphocranion Skapanthus Solenostemon Stachyopsis Stachys Stenogyne Sulaimania Suzukia Symphostemon Synandra Syncolostemon Tetradenia Teucrium Thorncroftia Thuspeinanta Thymbra Thymus Tinnea Trichostema Vitex Warnockia Wenchengia Westringia Wiedemannia Wrixonia Zataria Zhumeria Ziziphora

References

• Watson and Dallwitz

External links

• Lamiaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com
• Lamiaceae images