LAMIACEAE (LABIATAE)

Herbs or shrubs, annuals or perennials, usually aromatic. Stems and branches usually 4- angled. Leaves simple, rarely pinnately dissected or compound, opposite, rarely whorled or alternate, often more or less covered with sessile aromatic glands or glandular hairs; exstipulate. Inflorescences of variously arranged cymes, often in condensed false whorls of flowers (verticillasters), forming heads, spikes, racemes or panicles; verticillasters 2-many- flowered subtended by leaves or bracts. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, rarely subactinomorphic, hypogynous, bracteolate or ebracteolate. Calyx persistent, usually 5-toothed, 2-lipped: upper lip 3-toothed or entire; lower lip 2- or 4-toothed; tube glabrous within to densely bearded. Corolla gamopetalous, zygomorphic, 2-lipped to actinomorphic, variously arranged: upper lip entire or emarginate, lower lip 3-lobed; upper lip of 1 lobe and lower of 4 lobes; upper lip wanting and lower lip of 5 lobes; or lobes subequal, 4 or 5. Stamens epipetalous, 4, didynamous, often with 2 (usually anterior or lower pair) longer and 2 (usually posterior or upper pair) shorter; or 2 (the anterior or lower pair) fertile stamens, with usually 2 (posterior or upper pair) staminodes; anther bithecous or monothecous, thecae parallel, divergent or separated by an elongated connective; dehiscence longitudinal. Disk hypogynous, usually thick and fleshy, often lobed. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary superior, 4-lobed to the base, lobes 1-locular, ovules solitary in each loculus; style simple, slender, inserted in the centre of ovary between the lobes (gynobasic); stigmas 2-lobed, lobes equal or unequal. Fruits included within persistent calyx, 4-lobed or by abortion 3- to 1-lobed, the lobes ultimately separating into as many indehiscent, 1-seeded, usually smooth nutlets; nutlets myxospermic (mucilaginous on wetting) or not. Seeds without or with little endosperm.

232 genera and about 7500 species