LAMIACEAE - MINT FAMILY
Scientific Description:
Herbs or shrubs, usually glandular and aromatic; stems 4-angled or not. Leaves exstipulate, simple, sometimes pinnate, always opposite. Inflorescence basically of cymes borne in the axils of bracts or upper leaves and usually contracted to form false whorls (verticillasters); the latter may also be arranged to form spikes, heads, racemes or cymes. Flowers hermaphrodite, or male-sterile (functionally female) in gynodioecious plants. Bracts clearly different from leaves, or similar to them (when they may be termed 'floral leaves'); bracteoles present or not. Calyx usually 5-lobed with an upper 3-toothed and lower 2-toothed part, rarely lobes or teeth 1 and 1 or 1 and 4, or calyx actinomorphic; veins 5−20. Corolla gamopetalous, zygomorphic and bilabiate with usually an indistinctly 2-lobed upper lip (hood or galea), falcate, straight or ± concave, and a 3-lobed lower lip (labellum); rarely upper lip reduced and lower lip 5-lobed, or with 1 upper and 4 lower lobes, or corolla actinomorphic. Stamens adnate to corolla, 4 and didynamous, or 2 (and staminodes usually present); posterior (upper) pair usually shorter than anterior (lower) pair; anther thecae 2or 1-celled, parallel or divergent, rarely (in Salvia L.) separated by elongated connectives. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate and 4-ovulate, 4-lobed. Style gynobasic, rarely not, shortly bifid above. Fruit of four (rarely fewer) dry (very rarely fleshy) nutlets, mucilaginous on wetting (myxospermic) or not.
Reference:
Davis PH (1982). Lamiaceae, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 7: 36.
Public Description:
“The mint family”, consists ofherbs,shrubs, trees (such as teak), or, rarely vines, and spreads almost all over the world. The basic characteristic of this family is that it has a four angled stem, oppositely arranged leaves and two-lipped fragrant flowers.Often used as aromatic plants and include many widely used culinary herbs, such as basil (Ocimum L.), mint (Mentha L.), rosemary (Rosmarinus L.), sage (Salvia L.), marjoram (Origanum L.), thyme (Thymus L.) and lavender (Lavandula L.). Many members of this family are widely cultivatedfor flavour, fragrance, or medicinal properties.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamiaceae/, Accessed date: 14.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.britannica.com/plant/Lamiaceae/, Accessed date: 14.02.2016.
