Lamiaceae: Characters, Economic Importance, Distribution and Types

Diagnostic Characters of Family Lamiaceae

1. Habit: Annual herbs or rarely shrubs.

2. Roots: Tap root.

3. Stem: Herbaceous: quadrangular; glandular hairs are present. 

4. Leaves: Petiolate; opposite and decussate: simple: exstipulate.

5. Inflorescence: Verticillaster (opposite axillary cymes).

6. Flower: Pedicillate: ebracteate: zygomorphic; complete; hermaphrodite; hypogynous.

7. Calyx: 4 or 5 sepals; fused; tubular of funnel shaped, sometimes two lipped by bilabiate.

8. Corolla: 4 or 5 petals; gamopetalous; forms two lips (bilabiate), upper lip has two notches and lower lips has three notches.

9. Stamens: 4 stamens: didynamous; epipetalous; basifixed.

10. Carpel: Bicarpellary; syncarpous; ovary superior; tetralocular due to formation of false septum; placentation axile.

11. Fruits: Carcerulus with persistent calyx.

12. Seed: Non-endospermic.

Floral formula of Lamiaceae:

⚥ ✴ K(5) [C(5) A4 or 2] G(2̄)

Floral diagram of Lamiaceae:

Economic Importance of Lamiaceae:

1. Food: Mint is used as salad. Tubers of Stachys are edible. 

2. Condiments: Mentpa and Ocimum are the members of family Lamiaceae are used as condiments.

3. Beverages: Ocimum canum gives mucilaginous seeds. These are used in beverages as tukhmalanga.

4. Medicinal plants: Many drugs of this family give drugs. Peppermint is obtained from Mentha piperata. Ocimum kilimands charicum contain camphor. Seeds of Salvia aegyptica and Ocimum basilicum are used in making poatice for boils. 

5. Perfumes: Many plants contain abundant volatile aromatic oils like thymole, lavender oil and rosemary oil. 

6. Ornamental plants: Some species of Salvia are cultivated for their beautiful flowers.

7. Insect repellants: Ocimum basilicum (Niazbo) has mosquito repellant properties. Thus this plant is grown in house into order to prevent mosquitoes. 

Distribution pattern of family Lamiaceae:

Family Lamiaceae is a large family. It has 200 genera and 3000 species. The family Lamiaceae is widely distributed all over the world.

Common Species of family Lamiaceae:

1. Ocimum basilicum

2. Mentpa viridis

3. Lavendula vera

4. Salvia Splendens