Teucrium
Encyclopedia
Teucrium is a genus
of perennial plant
s, of the family
Lamiaceae
. Common names for this genus include germanders. These species
are herbs
, shrub
s or subshrub
s. They are most common in Mediterranean climate
s.
An unusual feature of this genus compared with other members of Lamiaceae
is that the flowers completely lack the upper lip of the corolla, although it is somewhat reduced also in other genera (Ajuga among them).
Several species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including the Coleophora
case-bearers Coleophora auricella
and Coleophora chamaedriella
. The latter is only known from Wall Germander.
Teucrium species are rich in essential oil
s. They are valued as ornamental plant
s and a pollen source
, and some species have culinary and/or medical value.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s, of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
. Common names for this genus include germanders. These species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are herbs
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
, 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 or subshrub
Subshrub
A subshrub or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting...
s. They are most common in Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
s.
An unusual feature of this genus compared with other members of Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
is that the flowers completely lack the upper lip of the corolla, although it is somewhat reduced also in other genera (Ajuga among them).
Several species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including the Coleophora
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
case-bearers Coleophora auricella
Coleophora auricella
Coleophora auricella is a moth of the Coleophoridae family. It is found from Germany and Poland to Spain, Italy and Romania. It has also been recorded from southern Russia....
and Coleophora chamaedriella
Coleophora chamaedriella
Coleophora chamaedriella is a moth of the Coleophoridae family. It is found from Poland to Spain, Sardinia, Italy and Greece.The larvae feed on Teucrium chamaedrys, Teucrium scorodonia and Veronica species. They create a yellow-brown lobe case of 10-12 mm with a mouth angle of about 80°. Larvae can...
. The latter is only known from Wall Germander.
Teucrium species are rich in 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. They are valued as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s and a pollen source
Pollen source
The term pollen source is often used in the context of beekeeping and refers to flowering plants as a source of pollen for bees or other insects. Bees collect pollen as a protein source to raise their brood. For the plant, the pollinizer, this can be an important mechanism for sexual reproduction,...
, and some species have culinary and/or medical value.
Selected species
- Teucrium ajugaceumTeucrium ajugaceumTeucrium ajugaceum is a plant species in the family Lamiaceae. The species was thought to be extinct in Queensland until rediscovered on Cape York, between Cooktown and Lockhart River in May 2004. Previous to this, the species had not been seen since 1891....
F.M.Bailey & F.Muell. ex F.M.Bailey - Teucrium argutum
- Teucrium aroanium
- Teucrium balfouriiTeucrium balfouriiTeucrium balfourii is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.It is found only in Yemen.Its natural habitat is rocky areas.-References:* Miller, A. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Teucrium balthazarisTeucrium balthazarisTeucrium balthazaris is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.It is found only in Spain.Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Sennen - Teucrium betonicum L'Hér.
- Teucrium botrysTeucrium botrysTeucrium botrys or Cut Leaved germander is a low to short downy annual, sometimes biennial, plant. It was noted by Linnaeus in 1753 and is classified as part of the genus Teucrium in the Labiate family. It has oval , but deeply cut leaves, which appear almost pinnate in form.Its flowers are 2...
L. – Cut-leaved Germander - Teucrium canadense L. – American Germander
- Teucrium capitatum
- Teucrium chamaedrysTeucrium chamaedrysTeucrium chamaedrys is a species of ornamental plant native to Europe and the Near East. It was historically used as a medicinal herb for the treatment of gout and sometimes as a component of Venice treacle.-Appearance:...
L. – Wall Germander - Teucrium chardonianum – Aouioura Germander
- Teucrium corymbosum R.Br.
- Teucrium cossonii – Fruity Teucrium
- Teucrium cubenseTeucrium cubenseTeucrium cubense is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name small coastal germander. It is native to a section of the Americas that includes the southern United States, parts of the Caribbean, Mexico, and northern South America. There are several subtaxa...
Jacq.Nikolaus Joseph von JacquinNikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany....
– Small Coastal Germander - Teucrium demnatense
- Teucrium divaricatum
- Teucrium flavum L. – Yellow Germander
- Teucrium fruticansTeucrium fruticansTeucrium fruticans also known as tree germander and shrubby germander is a species of the genus Teucrium and of the mint family Lamiaceae.-Distribution:Native:...
L. – Tree Germander, Shrubby Germander, Bush Germander - Teucrium glandulosumTeucrium glandulosumTeucrium glandulosum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name desert germander. It is native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Baja California, its distribution extending just into California. It grows in rocky desert habitat such as canyons. The plant produces...
Kellogg – Common Germander - Teucrium grandiusculum
- Teucrium heterophyllum
- Teucrium japonicum
- Teucrium laciniatum – Lacy Germander
- Teucrium marum L. – Cat Thyme
- Teucrium poliumTeucrium poliumTeucrium polium is a sub-shrub and herb native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Its flowers are small and range from pink to white, and its leaves are used in cooking and for medicinal purposes, particularly for the treatment of stomach ailments. It has also shown some promise in...
L. – Felty Germander - Teucrium pyrenaicum
- Teucrium racemosum
- Teucrium scordium L. – Water Germander
- Teucrium scorodoniaTeucrium scorodoniaTeucrium scorodonia, common name the Wood Sage or Woodland germander, is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Teucrium of the Lamiaceae family. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens.-Description:...
L. – Woodland Germander - Teucrium socotranumTeucrium socotranumTeucrium socotranum is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.It is found only in Yemen.Its natural habitat is rocky areas.-References:* Miller, A. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Vierh. - Teucrium townsendii
- Teucrium townsendii ssp. affine
- Teucrium townsendii var. townsendii
- Teucrium werneri – Jbel Kest Germander
Formerly placed here
- Ajuga chamaepitysAjuga chamaepitysAjuga chamaepitys is a species of flowering plant of the family Lamiaceae. Popularly known as Yellow bugle or Ground pine, the plant has many of the same characteristics and properties as Ajuga reptans. A. chamaepitys can be found in Europe, the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, and North...
(L.) Schreb. (as T. chamaepitys L.)