Mint (Family Lamiaceae)

 

Lamiaceae or Labiatae, also known as the Mint Family, is a family

of flowering plants. It had traditionally been considered closely re-

lated to Family Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, new research indicat-

ed that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in

Lamiaceae. The enlarged Lamiaceae contains about 236 genera and

6,900 to 7,200 species. The largest genera are Salvia (900), Scutel-

laria (360), Stachys (300), Plectranthus (300), Hyptis (280),

Teucrium (250), Vitex (250), Thymus (220), Nepeta (200) and

Clerodendrum ( 150).

 

Family Lamiaceae is cosmopolitan being distributed worldwide,

with heavy concentrations being in the Mediterranean region and

SW Asia.

 

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, trees, such as teak, or rarely vines. Many members of the

family are widely cultivated, owing not only to their aromatic qual-

ities 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.

 

 

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