Description:

• Herbs, mainly perennial, shrubs or trees, often aromatic; branches usually 4-angled
• Leaves opposite or whorled, simple, rarely pinnately lobed (Teucrium) or digitately compound (Cedronella, Vitex), entire or toothed; usually gland-dotted and aromatic; stipules 0
• Flowers irregular to regular, bisexual or rarely unisexual (Tetradenia), solitary and opposite or aggregated into cymes or verticils arranged in terminal, spike-like compound inflorescences found on main or sometimes lateral branches; bracts present, leaf-like or reduced, often caducous
• Calyx of 5 fused sepals, tubular, campanulate to spreading, usually persistent and often enlarged in fruit, rarely becoming fleshy (Hoslundia), regularly or irregularly 3-many-toothed, or with 2 entire or toothed lips, rarely truncate or 5-partite, sometimes with posterior lobe broadly ovate and decurrent on tube
• Corolla of 5 ± fused petals, (1)2-labiate or ± regular and 4- or 5-lobed
• Stamens (2)4, subequal or in pairs of unequal length (didynamous), all or only 1 pair fertile, arising at corolla mouth or in tube; filaments sometimes connate, sometimes with a crest or projection near base; anthers 1- or 2-thecous, with longitudinal slits
• Ovary superior, seated on an entire or lobed disc, deeply or shortly 4-lobed, 4-locular, with a single ovule in each locule; ovules lateral on false septa; style gynobasic or terminal; stigma usually inconspicuous at tips of 2 stylar branches or lobes or entire
• Fruit composed of 4, or by abortion fewer, dry, 1-seeded nutlets; nutlets rugose or smooth, rarely winged (Tinnea); or fruit a drupe with 1-4 pyrenes
• Seeds with embryo straight and little or no endosperm

Classification Notes:

• The treatment of the Lamiaceae is based on the account of Codd (1985). Four genera, namely Clerodendrum, Karomia, Premna and Vitex, were moved from the Verbenaceae to the Lamiaceae according to Cantino (1992)

Nomenclature:

• Lamiaceae
  • Jussieu: 110 (1789) as Labiatae
  • Bentham: 25 (1848) as Labiatae
  • Bentham: 1160 (1876) as Labiatae
  • Briquet: 183 (1895-1897) as Labiatae
  • Baker: 332 (1900) as Labiatae
  • Brown et al.: 226 (1910) as Labiatae
  • Launert & Schreiber: 1 (1969)
  • Codd: 1 (1985)
  • Zomlefer: 265 (1994)
  • Hedge et al.: 1 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 252, species 6700; cosmopolitan in warm and temperate areas
• Southern Africa: 41 (37) genera and 235 species are indigenous or naturalised in southern Africa, occurring mainly in eastern parts of region; many species have links with tropical Africa and may be regarded as peripheral tropical taxa

References:

• BAKER, J.G. 1900. Labiatae. Flora of tropical Africa 5
• BENTHAM, G.1848. Labiatae. In A. de Candolle, Prodromus 12. Victor Masson, Paris
• BENTHAM, G. 1876. Labiatae. In G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 2. Lovell Reeve & Co., Covent Garden
• BRIQUET, J. 1895-1897. Labiatae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 4,3a
• BROWN, N.E., COOKE, T. & SKAN, S.A. 1910. Order CV. Labiatae. Flora capensis 5
• CODD, L.E. 1985. Lamiaceae. Flora of southern Africa 28
• HEDGE, I.C., CLEMENT, R.A., PATON, A.J. & PHILLIPSON, P.B. 1998. Labiatae. Famille 175. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores
• JUSSIEU, A.L. DE. 1789. Labiatae. Genera plantarum. Herissant & Barrois, Paris
• LAUNERT, E. & SCHREIBER, A. 1969. Lamiaceae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 123
• ZOMLEFER, W.B. 1994. Guide to the flowering plant families. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill

Resources:

• Classification of Lamiaceae
• Key to Lamiaceae genera

• Lamiaceae genera: