In our article, we want to talk about the family of Labiaceae. According to the latest data, there are about two hundred genera - 3, 500 species. They are distributed almost throughout the world. Do not grow only in the Antarctic and the Arctic. There are few of them in the taiga zone; they prefer tropical mountainous areas. The Labret family is a very peculiar representative of the flora. The plants that relate to it are interesting primarily as suppliers of medicinal raw materials of natural origin.
Appearance of plants
Plants, which are part of the Labret family, externally have a characteristic structure. They are very easy to recognize by the flower, which has a long tube and a two-lipped pharynx, resembling the open mouth of a fabulous creature. Such a distinguishing feature is only the Labret family. An inflorescence of this kind is practically not found in other plants.
As for the fruits, they also have an unusual shape. The fruit of the labiate family consists of four single-seeded, in the form of nuts, slices.
Also a distinctive feature is the opposite arrangement of whole leaves. The stems, as a rule, have a tetrahedral shape. Characteristics of the Labret family will be incomplete, if not to mention the strong aroma that is characteristic of more plants. The phenomenal aroma is due to the presence of glands on different parts of the plants that secrete complex essential oils. It is because of the presence of these oils that the plants of the Labretaceous family are widely used as medicinal, aromatic and industrial crops. We will talk about the most common of them later.
Labret family: representatives
Representatives of this family are very diverse. Most of them are shrubs and herbs. However, in the subtropics and tropics, shrubs are very common. A prominent representative is the rosemary officinalis common in the Mediterranean. This is an evergreen shrub with small linear leaves and purple flowers.
The family of labiaceae (photo is given in the article) is also represented by trees, but they are found only in the tropics. Some of them reach a height of fifteen meters. But, as a rule, woody labioids do not grow more than five meters.
Grassy clear
The grass of the labiate family is an erect plant; it does not require support. However, creeping species are also found (for example, ivy-shaped budra). And such a plant as a tenacious creep has not only erect shoots, but also in the axils of leaves arched shoots still grow, rooted in the ground with their tips (like antennae on a strawberry).
Root system
Plants maintain their main root throughout their lives. Sometimes there are times when he dies and is replaced by subordinate roots, which depart from the stem itself or from its creeping shoots. Rhizomes are characteristic of a greater number of labiate.
Much less common are plants with root offspring, like a Geneva survivor. In coastal varieties growing on waterlogged soils, sometimes the roots look like tubers, which the locals eat.
Leaf structure
Representatives of the family have, as a rule, whole, sometimes whole-edge leaves. But sometimes there are bare species, such as decorative sage. In this case, the plant is covered with a thick layer of hairs (Crete Cretan, Crimean iron).
Labiaceae flowers
As we noted earlier, flowers also have a special structure. The Labret family is characterized by the fact that the latter are usually bisexual. They are located in the axils of the leaves. Only a few species have single flowers. Most often they are collected in inflorescences of two pieces, which form the so-called spikelets. Some varieties even have thorns that are designed to protect the plant from being eaten by animals. Such species are found in the mountainous regions of Central Asia (harejaw).
As a rule, both the cup and the corolla of the labiaceae consist of five leaflets fused into a tube. In general, the calyx comes in a variety of forms: bell-shaped, tubular, funnel, spherical. Its modifications are associated with an attempt to adapt to the distribution of fruits. The cup can change color, becoming very bright, to attract the attention of birds and animals, can grow, increasing windage, for the spread of seeds by the wind.
Labretaceous family - plants that have four stamens in each flower attached to the corolla tube. In some tropical species, the stamens grow together. Below their location there is a hairy ring that is designed to protect nectar.
Lip anthers can be of various shapes. It all depends on the degree of fitness of the plant for pollination. Sometimes there are real complex "mechanisms", like iron and scutellaria.
Although bisexual flowers are more characteristic of labioids, many representatives have female ones with stamens along with them. Much less common are male flowers. An example of such a plant is a herbaceous plant of the family Labiata corymariformes (weed).
Fruit
The family Labiaceae, whose representatives are considered by us, is distinguished by the fact that all plants have a characteristic structure of the fruit. As a rule, it consists of four lobes, each of which contains one seed. The shape of the fetus itself can be very different. The corolla with fruits usually falls, but the calyx certainly remains and grows. In mature seeds, endosperm is absent.
The outer shell of the lobes often has a tuberous shape, which contributes to the spread of seeds.
Places of growth
Representatives of this type of flora, such as the Labretaceous family (Lamiaceae), are distributed around the world. Especially there are a lot of them in countries with Mediterranean flora (from the Canary Islands to the Western Himalayas). But in the taiga such plants are practically absent. Paradise paradise - tropical mountainous areas. Especially a lot of them in South and Central America. In Australia, only endemic species of this continent are found, only about a hundred species. New Zealand turned out to be even poorer, there is only one species of mint and one variety of Scutellaria, as well as one representative of the Tetrachondra genus. But in the Hawaiian Islands there are quite a lot of labiaceae, they are represented by two endemic genera.
Plants of this family prefer to grow in open mountain or flat places. Dry soil is suitable for them. Among them there are very few meadow and forest plants. In the rainforests, only a few representatives are able to survive, since the labioids do not tolerate excessive moisture. As for real aquatic species, they do not exist at all in nature. There are only a few genera, some of which grow on the banks of swamps and ponds. An example is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Labaceae family - peppermint, as well as scutellaria and zyuznik.
Pollination of plants by insects
The relationship between the labiacs and the insects that pollinate them is quite complex and is the result of a long evolutionary process. Those plants of this family that have the most simply arranged flowers are pollinated by flies and hymenopterans, since it is not difficult to get nectar from them.
In labiaceae, with a more complex flower structure, nectar is not so easy to obtain. It is at the bottom of a long tube. Pollination of such species is carried out by butterflies and hymenoptera, very rarely large ghost flies.
A unique device in the form of a lever, which makes it possible to get nectar to an insect, has sage. Insects need to contrive to get what they flew for. In the subtropical and tropical regions of America, plants pollinate small hummingbirds. In the same way as hummingbirds, butterflies of the family of hawks act. They hover around the flowers and at the same time suck the nectar with their beaks, touching the stamens with their heads.
Some plants from the labiaceae family have such a flower structure that an insect, sitting on it, catches pollen with its abdomen and then carries it away. Very rare species can self-pollinate.
I would like to note that labiaceae have their own ways of attracting the attention of insects, for example, in the form of separate bright parts of a flower.
Propagation of plants
As for breeding, the vast majority is spread by wind. The process involves single-seeded fetal lobes, which windage is increased due to hairs or pterygoid outgrowths. In Africa, the genus Tinney is very common. So, its fruits are armed with crested shields, which help the spread of seeds.
Some varieties for a long time keep the stems dry, gradually the seeds themselves are sown under the influence of winds. For others, on the contrary, they very quickly break off near the ground and are carried by winds along the steppes, scattering fruits. This tumbleweed effect is characteristic of some varieties of sage, catnip, and popnik. The longer the fruits are in the cup, the longer they will be transported. It is for this reason that many labiaceae have reliable devices for holding seeds.
Other species, on the contrary, are arranged in such a way that the fruit falls with the cup and due to it has a large windage, which allows it to spread over long distances.
Among the labyrinths, there are many plants that spread through living beings. Moreover, they have no less interesting devices that help them in this. Some of them are eaten by birds and animals, others cling to the appendages of their hair and human clothing. Each species has found its own path of distribution.
In the tropics, some fruits are covered with a meaty shell (in the form of a berry), which attracts animals and birds, while others are smeared with an adhesive substance that allows them to stick to the fur or plumage.
But the adaptability to the spread of some species is generally amazing. For example, some varieties of cinquefoil and survivor have substances that serve as food for ants, it is with their help that the fruits are distributed. The Brazilian plant hippis is designed in such a way that ant colonies always always live in its internodes.
Those labiaceae that chose the coast of rivers and swamps as their habitat have floating parts of the fruit, and therefore are spread by the aquatic method, sometimes with the help of animals.
Application
Grass, shrubs, creepers, shrubs of the family Labiaceae are all diverse forms of the same family. Many of them are essential oil crops, and therefore are of particular interest to humans. Such plants include: basil, sage, chandra, Dubrovnik, rosemary, lavender.
Lavender is a semi-shrub of the Labaceae family. More than twenty-five of its species are known. In many countries, it is cultivated exclusively to produce a unique essential oil. And some species of this interesting plant are of interest as a decorative medicinal honey plant.
Basil also refers to shrubs and shrubs. About 150 of its species grow in the subtropics and tropics, some of which produce valuable essential oil. In addition, basil is widely used as a seasoning in many cuisines of the world.
The famous sage also has many varieties, some of which are honey plants and a source of aromatic oil. In Russia, it is common in the steppe zone.
Perilla is a representative of annual labiaceae. This is exclusively oilseed. It is grown in Asia and Japan, China and North Korea, and even in the Far East. Edible and technical oil is obtained from seeds. In addition, some species have decorative applications, and are also excellent honey plants.
Labiaceae family medicinal plants
From time immemorial, clear-headed people have been valued for their medicinal properties. And now they are actively using their healing substances. In our regions, such varieties are most known: mint, motherwort, sage, zyuznik, initial letter, etc.
Sage is not only an oilseed, but also a medicinal plant of the family Labiaceae. It is actively used for irrigation and gargling of the throat and oral cavity.
Basil is good for loss of appetite, for constipation and flatulence. Sometimes it is used as a gargle for throats, for compresses for festering wounds.
Oregano - also a medicinal plant of the family Labiaceae, is used to treat intestinal and gastric diseases, as well as bronchitis. It should be noted that it is oregano oil that is part of many rubbing ointments that are good for rheumatism. Also, the plant is used as a spice, for example, in Italian cuisine for the preparation of the famous pizza. The essential oil of this plant is wonderful. And in Indian medicine, oregano is used not only to treat stomach diseases, but also for nervous disorders.
Peppermint, familiar to us since childhood, is part of many tea collections that help treat liver, gall bladder, intestines, and stomach. In general, it can be found in many collections. In addition, at home it is brewed as a simple tea, because the drink is very aromatic, pleasant and has a sedative effect.
Dubrovnik ordinary is used as a gastric medicine for diseases of the gall bladder and intestines. In addition, it has the ability to stimulate appetite and helps with bronchitis.
Marjoram is familiar to us as seasoning. It improves appetite by stimulating the formation of bile and gastric juice. His tincture has antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic and tonic effect. Marjoram is used for gastritis and chronic cholecystitis, flatulence and headaches, cycle disorders, insomnia, and vomiting.
Pikulnik is good for coughing and various pulmonary diseases. In addition, it has blood-purifying properties and is used for diseases of the gall bladder and liver.
Kidney tea is a wonderful diuretic, which is widely used in diseases of the urinary tract.
Savory has a beneficial effect on the stomach, contributing to the release of juice, so it is used to stimulate appetite. Brewed in the form of tea, it is used for colds and coughs.
Thyme is used in medicine as an expectorant.
In the framework of the article, we talked only about some medicinal plants of the family Labiaceae. In fact, there are a lot of them, it is impossible to tell about all. But the fact that they actually help with various kinds of diseases is evidenced by the long-term practice of their use in different countries of the world.
Labret around us
It should be noted that the plants of the family Labiaceae grow not only in the wild. You will be surprised, but among the cultivated plants in our beds there are enough representatives of this group, for example, the same salvia, delighting us with their bright flowers before the onset of frost.
In addition, some flowers growing on the windowsills of our apartments also belong to labiaceae: coleus, Swedish ivy, and a molar tree. They have long been fond of the mistresses for their unpretentiousness and bright color. They do not need special care, but always delight with their beauty. In the summer, plants grow well on the balcony, and in the winter in the apartment. They prefer bright lighting, so you need to put them on the south side.
As for watering, it does not have to be very frequent. And in winter, rather rare. As we said earlier, Labiaceae do not tolerate excess moisture, this also applies to domestic representatives.
Recently, a plant such as rosemary has become very fashionable. It is not only used as a seasoning, but also grown at home. True, the plant does not like the high temperatures and dry air of central heating (it can even drop leaves and begin to dry out). It has a good decorative appearance, it becomes especially interesting during flowering, when everything is covered with small blue or blue flowers. For the summer period, some housewives even plant such house plants in open ground, where they feel great. But before the onset of cold weather, rosemary must be returned home again, because it will not tolerate frost. This culture is good for home use, not only because of the decorative look. The plant produces a pleasant aroma, purifying the air, because it has bactericidal properties.
