Lippia
Encyclopedia
Lippia is a genus of flowering plant
s in the verbena
family, Verbenaceae
. It was named after Augustus Lippi, a French traveler. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical
shrub
s that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their essential oil
s, which vary between species but may include estragole
, carvacrol
, linalool, or limonene
. The leaves
of certain species, such as L. graveolens
, can be used as a culinary herb
similar to oregano
.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the verbena
Verbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
family, Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, commonly known as the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that...
. It was named after Augustus Lippi, a French traveler. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s, which vary between species but may include estragole
Estragole
Estragole is a phenylpropene, a natural organic compound. Its chemical structure consists of a benzene ring substituted with a methoxy group and a propenyl group. Estragole is a double-bond isomer of anethole. It is a colorless to pale yellow liquid...
, carvacrol
Carvacrol
Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3CH3, is a monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano and a pizza-like taste.- Natural occurrence :...
, linalool, or limonene
Limonene
Limonene is a colourless liquid hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene. The more common D isomer possesses a strong smell of oranges. It is used in chemical synthesis as a precursor to carvone and as a renewably-based solvent in cleaning products....
. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
of certain species, such as L. graveolens
Lippia graveolens
Lippia graveolens is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the southwestern United States , Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Common names include Redbrush Lippia, Orégano Cimmaron, Scented Lippia, Mexican Oregano, and Scented Matgrass...
, can be used as a culinary herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
similar to oregano
Oregano
Oregano – scientifically named Origanum vulgare by Carolus Linnaeus – is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . It is native to warm-temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall,...
.
Selected species
- Lippia adoensis (Hochst.Christian Ferdinand Friedrich HochstetterChristian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter was a German botanist and Protestant minister who was a native of Stuttgart. He was the father of geologist Ferdinand Hochstetter ....
ex Walp.Wilhelm Gerhard WalpersWilhelm Gerhard Walpers was a German botanist. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Walp. when citing a botanical name.-Works:*Repertorium botanices systematicæ...
) – Koseret; (Ethiopia) - Lippia albaLippia albaLippia alba is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to southern Texas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Common names include Bushy Matgrass, Bushy Lippia, and Hierba Negra. It is a mult-branched shrub,...
(Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P.Wilson – Bushy Lippia, White Lippia (TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
) - Lippia carterae (Moldenke) G.L.Nesom – Licorice Verbena (Baja CaliforniaBaja CaliforniaBaja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Mexico) - Lippia durangensis Moldenke
- Lippia graveolensLippia graveolensLippia graveolens is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the southwestern United States , Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Common names include Redbrush Lippia, Orégano Cimmaron, Scented Lippia, Mexican Oregano, and Scented Matgrass...
Kunth – Mexican Oregano, Scented Lippia, Scented Matgrass (Southwestern United StatesSouthwestern United StatesThe Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, Mexico, and Central America as far south as NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
) - Lippia javanica (Burm.f.) Spreng.
- Lippia kituiensis Vatke
- Lippia micromera Schauer – Spanish Thyme (Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America)
- Lippia myriocephala Schltdl. & Cham.
- Lippia palmeriLippia palmeriLippia palmeri S. Wats. is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It is native to the Sonoran Desert.It is a tall slender shrub, reaching 2 meters in height and spreading to 1 meter. Fragrant white flowers can be found on the plant after the rains.-Uses:The Seri call...
S.Watson - Lippia pretoriensis H.Pearson
- Lippia rehmannii H.Pearson
- Lippia salicifoliaLippia salicifoliaLippia salicifolia is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is endemic to Ecuador. It is threatened by habitat loss....
AnderssonNils Johan AnderssonNils Johan Andersson , was a Swedish botanist and traveller. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation N.J.Andersson when citing a botanical name....
(EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
) - Lippia scaberrima Sond.
- Lippia sidoides Cham.
Formerly placed here
- Aloysia citrodora Palau (as L. citrodora Kunth or L. triphylla (L'Hér.) Kuntze)
- Aloysia lycioides Cham. (as L. lycioides (Cham.) Steud.)
- Aloysia scorodonioides (Kunth) Cham. (as L. scorodonioides Kunth or L. wrightii A.Gray ex Torr.)
- Lantana montevidensisLantana montevidensisLantana montevidensis is a species of lantana known by many common names, such as: trailing lantana, weeping lantana, creeping lantana, small lantana, purple lantana or trailing shrubverbena....
(Spreng.) Briq. (as L. montevidensis Spreng.) - Lantana ukambensis (Vatke) Verdc. (as L. ukambensis Vatke)
- Mulguraea ligustrina (Lag.) N.O'Leary & P.Peralta (as L. ligustrina (Lag.) Britton)
- Phyla canescens (Kunth) Greene (as L. canescens Kunth or L. filiformis Schrad.)
- Phyla cuneifolia (Torr.) Greene (as L. cuneifolia (Torr.) Steud.)
- Phyla dulcisPhyla dulcisPhyla dulcis is a species of perennial herb that is native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean , Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela...
(Trevir.) Moldenke (as L. dulcis Trevir.) - Phyla lanceolataPhyla lanceolataPhyla lanceolata is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common name lanceleaf fogfruit or frogfruit. It is native to the southern half of North America, including much of the United States except for the northwestern quadrant, and much of Mexico...
(Michx.) Greene (as L. lanceolata Michx.) - Phyla nodifloraPhyla nodifloraPhyla nodiflora , is an ornamental plant in the Verbenaceae family, which is native from soud amrican and United States. It can be found in tropical areas around the globe, a naturalized species in many places...
(L.) Greene (as L. nodiflora (L.) Michx. or L. repens Spreng.) - Phyla stoechadifolia (L.) Small (as L. stoechadifolia (L.) Kunth)