Verbenaceae

Abstract

Verbenaceae, the verbena family or vervain family, in the order of Lamiales, is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants. According to recent phylogenetic study, the new narrowly circumscribed Verbenaceae family includes about 35 genera with approximately 1,200 species, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with few species in temperate regions. Plants are usually shrubs or trees, and rarely vines or herbs. Leaves are opposite, simple, or palmately compound. Stipules are absent. Inflorescences are usually cymose, spicate, racemose, or cymes and further forming to corybose or coniform. Bracts are often present. Flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic, or actinomorphic. Calyx is cup-shaped, campanulate, or tubular, persistent, with apex usually 4–5-toothed or truncate. Corolla is bilabiate or slightly unequally 4–5-lobed. Stamens are 4, rarely 2, or 5–6 and inserted on corolla tube. Anthers are 2-loculed, inward longitudinal, or suture porally hehiscent, broader in upper, and narrower in below. Disk is present and inconspicuous. Ovary is superior. Carpels are two, rarely four or five, entire, emarginate or 4-lobed, rarely partite, and usually 2-loculed. Ovules are two per locule or 4–10-loculed with present of false dissepiment, with one ovule per locule. Styles are apical, rarely inserted on ovary flat. Fruit is a drupe, berrylike drupe, or 2–4-valvate capsule, with one seed per valve. Seeds are usually without endosperm. Embryo is erect. Five species, belonging to two different genera, are illustrated in the chapter.