Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. Photo J. Osbourne

Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. Photo J. Osbourne

Subfamily

VII. Subfam. Nepetoideae (Dumort.) Luerss. (1882).

VII. 2. Tribe Mentheae Dumort. (1827).

VII. 2. B. Subtribe Menthinae (Dumort.) Endl. (1838).

Description

Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, aromatic; leaves ± entire, subsessile to shortly petiolate; inflorescence of 2-12-flowered verticillasters, of sessile or pedunculate cymes in axils of leaf-like bracts, forming a terminal, spiciform or capituliform thyrse; bracts patent or imbricate, ± conspicuous; bracteoles inconspicuous; flowers shortly pedicellate, pedicels sometimes flattened; calyx ± actinomorphic, 5-lobed (± 3/2), lobes triangular, posterior lobes shorter than straight or curved anterior lobes, calyx-tube cylindrical, sometimes curved, gibbous below, 13-nerved, accrescent, throat bearded, closed; corolla 2-lipped, ± 4-lobed (1/3), white, rose-red or purple, posterior lip rounded, sometimes emarginate, straight, anterior lobes ± rounded, corolla-tube cylindrical, short, sometimes scarcely exserted from calyx, exannulate; stamens 2, (posterior pair staminodal or absent), anterior pair ascending under posterior corolla lip, exserted from tube, anthers often cohering at margins, with fertile theca ellipsoidal, divaricate, becoming confluent, or often dimidiate, lower theca sterile and forming a small appendage; stigma-lobes unequal; disc symmetrical; nutlets ovoid to trigonous, smooth or granulate.  2n = 12, 16, 18, 24, 32, 36.  About 20 species in S Europe, NW Africa and Asia to Himalayas and Altai mountains.  Open, usually xeric habitats.  Aromatic and medicinal plants used as flavouring and as source of essential oils.

Distribution

Native to:

12 Southwestern Europe
13 Southeastern Europe
14 Eastern Europe
20 Northern Africa
21 Macaronesia
30 Siberia
32 Middle Asia
33 Caucasus
34 Western Asia
35 Arabian Peninsula
36 China
37 Mongolia
40 Indian Subcontinent

Synonyms

Zwingeria Heist. ex Fabr., Enum.: 59 (1759).

Faldermannia Trautv., Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg 6: 185 (1840)., (1839).

Publication

Ziziphora L., Sp. Pl. 1: 21 (1753), Hedge, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 23: 209-221 (1961); Rechinger f., Fl. Iranica 150: 480 (1982), rev. reg.

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Species found in RBG Kew living collections

2008-737 Ziziphora puschkini N GEAG   157 01 

Image resource

© Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew