Family SCROPHULARIACEAE
Synonyms: Myoporaceae APNI*
Buddlejaceae APNI*
Selaginaceae APNI*
Description: Herbs, rarely shrubs or climbers, sometimes semiparasitic, glabrous or hairy, often with minute sessile glands.
Leaves alternate, opposite or whorled or clustered, simple, stipules absent.
Inflorescence a raceme or spike with flowers 1–several in bract axils, or flowers solitary; bracts leaf-like or reduced. Flowers zygomorphic to ± actinomorphic, bisexual, 3–5-merous. Calyx tubular and 3–5-lobed or sepals 4 or 5 and ± free; persistent in fruit. Corolla tubular, 2-lipped or ± equally 3–5-lobed, the mouth often restricted by swellings (the palate); tube sometimes extended into a spur at base; usually not persistent in fruit. Stamens epipetalous, usually 4 in pairs of unequal length (didynamous), or 2, with or without a pair of staminodes or rarely stamens 5; anthers 2- or 1-locular, opening by longitudinal slits or almost pores. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate and 2-locular with the septum in the lateral plane; placentation axile or free-central (Limosella); ovules many; style 1, terminal, with a simple or 2-lobed stigma.
Fruit partly or completely enclosed in persistent calyx, either a septicidal and/or loculicidal capsule, splitting usually from the apex, sometimes from the base, or consisting of 2 1-seeded nutlets (cocci).
Distribution and occurrence: World: 54 genera, c. 1800 species, cosmopolitan. Australia: 17 genera, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Scrophulariaceae, Order: Lamiales)
Wikipedia
Text by W. R. Barker, except for genera with other contributors listed
Taxon concept: APG IV
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Hebenstretia,
Selago
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Shrubs or trees | 2 |
| Herbs or sub-shrubs | 4 |
| 2 | Corolla zygomorphic (rarely actinomorphic and then stamens 5); stamens usually 4, enclosed or exserted | Eremophila |
| Corolla actinomorphic or nearly so; stamens 4, enclosed or exserted
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Undersurface of leaves with stellate hairs and or glandular/scaly | Buddleja |
| Leaves nearly always glabrous, but if hairy then hairs simple
Back to 2 | Myoporum |
| 4 | Leaves basal, either either alternate and basal or basal due to the suppression of the internodes | 5 |
| No basal leaves present; leaves opposite
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Flowers in terminal racemes or spikes or panicles; leaves alternate along flowering stem | Verbascum |
| Flowerssolitary and found in the axils at the base of the plant
Back to 4 | Limosella |
| 6 | Corolla tube swollen or pouched at base; capsule asymmetric in side view | Nemesia |
| Corolla tube symmetrical at base; capule symmetrical in side view
Back to 4 | Scrophularia |
|
