Verbenaceae, commonly known as the
verbena family or
vervain family, is a
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of mainly tropical
flowering plantThe flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s. It contains
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and
herbsA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
notable for
headsThe capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
,
spikesA raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
, or
clustersAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
of small
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, many of which have an aromatic smell.
Recent
phylogeneticIn biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
studies have shown that numerous
generaGenera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
traditionally classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in
LamiaceaeThe mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
. The new narrowly circumscribed Verbenaceae family includes some 35 genera and 1,200
speciesIn biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. The mangrove genus
AvicenniaAvicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
, sometimes placed in Verbenaceae or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, has rather confidently been placed in
AcanthaceaeThe family Acanthaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species....
.
Economically important Verbenaceae include:
- Lemon Verbena
Aloysia citrodora is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Common names include Lemon Verbena and Lemon Beebrush. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 17th...
(Aloysia triphylla), grown for aroma or flavoring
- Verbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
s or vervains (Verbena), some used in herbalismHerbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
, others grown in gardens
Genera
The genera in the new narrowly circumscribed family:
- Acantholippia Griseb.
- Aloysia
Aloysia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. The roughly 35 species of aromatic shrubs it contains are generally known as beebrushes, with the most well-known being Lemon Verbena...
Palau – beebrushes
- Baillonia Bocq.
- Bouchea Cham.
- Burroughsia
- Casselia Nees & Mart.
- Chascanum E.Mey
- Citharexylum
Citharexylum is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It contains 70 to 100 shrub and tree species commonly known as Fiddlewoods or Zitherwoods. They are native to the Americas, ranging from southern Florida and Texas in the United States to Argentina. The highest...
L. – Fiddlewoods
- Coelocarpum Balf.f.
- Diostea Miers
- Dipyrena Hook.
- Duranta
Duranta is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It contains 17 species of shrubs and small trees that are native from southern Florida to Mexico and South America...
L.
- Glandularia
Glandularia, called mock vervains or mock verbenas, is a genus of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the vervain family, Verbenaceae...
J.F.Gmel.
- Hierobotana Briq.
- Junellia Moldenke
- Lampayo F.Phil. ex Murillo
- Lantana
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both...
L. – shrub verbenas, lantanas
- Lippia
Lippia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustus Lippi, a French traveler. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical shrubs that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their essential oils, which vary between species but...
L.
- Mulguraea N.O’Leary & P.Peralta
- Nashia
Nashia is a genus of the Vervain family .Species in this genus include:*Nashia armata Moldenke*Nashia cayensis Britton*Nashia inaguensis Millsp., commonly called Moujean Tea, Bahamas Berry, or Pineapple Verbena...
Millsp.Charles Frederick Millspaugh was an American botanist, born at Ithaca, N.Y., and educated at Cornell and the New York Homeopathic Medical College. For several years he practiced medicine and from 1891 to 1893 taught botany at West Virginia University...
- Neosparton Griseb.
- Parodianthus Tronc.
- Petrea
Petrea is a genus of evergreen flowering vines native to Mexico and Central America. They have rough-textured leaves, hence the common name sandpaper vine. It looks somewhat similar to a tropical Wisteria....
L. – sandpaper vines
- Phyla
Phyla is a genus of eustarid plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. Species in this genus are known generally as fogfruit or frogfruit. Species once classified under genus Lippia may be known by the common name lippia. Some species, e.g. Aztec Sweet Herb Phyla is a genus of eustarid plants in...
Lour.João de Loureiro was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, paleontologist, physician and botanist.In 1742 he travelled to Cochinchina, remaining there for 30 years. He became a specialist in Asian flora and on his return published Flora Cochinchinensis .- References :...
– fogfruits
- Pitraea Turcz.
- Priva
Priva is a genus of plant in family Verbenaceae. It contains the following species :* Priva auricoccea, A.Meeuse* Priva socotrana, Moldenke...
Adans.
- Recordia Moldenke
- Rehdera Moldenke
- Rhaphithamnus
Rhaphithamnus is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae.-Selected species:* Rhaphithamnus spinosus Moldenke* Rhaphithamnus venustus Rob.-External links:...
Miers
- Stachytarpheta
Stachytarpheta is a plant genus in the verbena family . The flowers are rich in nectar and popular with many butterflies, such as the South Asian Crimson Rose , Malabar Banded Swallowtail , and Grass Yellow .-Selected species:* Stachytarpheta cayennensis* Stachytarpheta indica*...
Vahl
- Stylodon Raf.
- Tamonea Aubl.
- Ubochea
- Urbania
- Verbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
L. – verbenas/vervains
- Verbenoxylum Tronc.
- Xeroaloysia Tronc.
- Xolocotzia
Xolocotzia is a genus of plant in family Verbenaceae. It contains the following species :* Xolocotzia asperifolia, Miranda...
Miranda