XVI International Botanical Congess

Parsimony analysis of chloroplast DNA restriction site data and rbcL and ndhF sequences complement earlier studies based upon non-molecular data and suggest that the Labiatae, as traditionally circumscribed, is polyphyletic. A larger group, Labiatae s.l., is monophyletic and encompasses Labiatae s. str. plus many genera traditionally included in Verbenaceae. A possible synapomorphy is the attachment of the ovules to the sides of false partitions of the ovary rather than at their margins. Their sister group is unclear. Major clades within Labiatae s.l are subfamilies Nepetoideae, Lamioideae, Scutellarioideae (including Holmskioldia), Ajugoideae, and Chloanthoideae (including Prostanthereae).