Lamiaceae
A species of Callicarpa L. from Vietnam
The Lamiaceae, or mint family, is the seventh largest flowering plant family with about 7,000 species organised into 236 genera, including woody herbs, shrubs, trees and even woody climbers. Many are of horticultural or economic importance, including culinary herbs such as basil (Ocimum), fragrant oils such as lavender (Lavandula), and important timber trees such as teak (Tectona grandis). Lamiaceae are also widely used in traditional medicine. The Lamiaceae is therefore a significant component of global plant diversity, particularly in the drylands.
The multidisciplinary work of the Lamiaceae team includes displays of horticulturally important genera, writing accounts for much-needed tropical Floras, sequencing specific regions of the genome to investigate the affinities of groups within the family, and analysing members of the family for biologically active compounds. As in other systematic teams, the Lamiaceae team’s objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the family and its close relatives through high quality research in collaboration with a wider international network, thereby generating a greater understanding of the diversity, utility and conservation needs of this important plant group. The tropical tribe Ocimeae (basil and allies) has provided a focus for activities over the last ten years. This focus is now beginning to move towards subfamily Viticoideae (teak, Vitex and its allies) and the medicinally and horticulturally important genus Salvia.