Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, usually strongly aromatic.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Sometimes opposite, primarily basal. Margins entire to toothed or lobed. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in verticillasters, these arranged in interrupted, spike-like, paniculate, or racemose inflorescences, sometimes in terminal capitate clusters, each flower +/- bracteolate. Calyx bilabiate, tubular to campanulate, 10–15–nerved, upper lip usually concave or arched, entire or 2-toothed, lower lip 2-toothed, sometimes the teeth and lips obsolete. Corolla strongly bilabiate, tube straight or curved, upper lip subgaleate, entire or 2-lobed, lower lip spreading, 3-lobed; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 2, ascending the upper corolla lip, sometimes exserted beyond the tube, ± with a rudimentary pair of staminodes, aligned with the sinuses; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits, with an elongate connective articulated near the center of the filament; anther sacs at each end, sometimes lower anther sac or entire lower arm of connective rudimentary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; ovules 1 per ovary lobe, placentation basal-axile; style 1; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets 4; 1-seeded; smooth. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: