''Clinopodium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

, in the

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants). The first use of this word dates back to the late 19th century. An example of ...

Menthinae. ''Clinopodium'' belongs to a large and complex group of genera including many New World mints such as ''

Hedeoma ''Hedeoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to North America, North and South America. They are commonly known as false pennyroyals. The genus name is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ἡδ ...

'', ''

Monarda ''Monarda'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pp 167-275 In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' volume VII. ...

'', and ''

Pycnanthemum ''Pycnanthemum'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Species in this genus are often referred to as "mountain mints" and they often have a minty or thyme-like aroma when crushed. All species of ''Pycnanthemum'' are ...

'', and this group is in turn a

sister clade In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to ''

Mentha ''Mentha'', also known as mint (from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta''), is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization oc ...

''. The

genus name Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial spec ...

''Clinopodium'' is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''clinopodion'', from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

(), from () "bed" and () "little foot". These were names for ''

Clinopodium vulgare ''Clinopodium vulgare'', the wild basil (not to be confused with the basils of the genus ''Ocimum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. Description Wild basil is a perennial rhizomatous herb with square, upright, hairy ste ...

''.Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' volume I, page 91. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington,DC;, USA. London, UK. (set). They allude to the form of the calyx. ''Clinopodium'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including ''

Coleophora albitarsella ''Coleophora albitarsella'' is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is found in most of Europe, but has not been recorded from Ireland and Greece. Description The wingspan is . Adults are on wing from mid-June to August in western Europe. The ...

''. Various ''Clinopodium''

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are used as

medicinal herbs Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ...

. For example, ''C. macrostemum'' is used in Mexico as a tea under the name or to cure hangovers, stomach aches, and liver disease.

Taxonomy

''Clinopodium'' has been defined very differently by different authors. Some have restricted it to as few as 13 species, all closely related to the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

, ''Clinopodium vulgare''. In the latest revision of Lamiaceae, ''Clinopodium'' encompassed about 100 species, including those otherwise placed in the genera ''

Acinos ''Clinopodium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Lamiaceae, in the subtribe Menthinae. ''Clinopodium'' belongs to a large and complex group of genera including many New World mints such as ''Hedeoma'', ''Monarda'', a ...

'', ''Calamintha'', ''Micromeria'', ''Satureja'', and ''Xenopoma''. This

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: * Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthr ...

, called ''Clinopodium''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

, was shown to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

in 2004, with additional information on the issue published in 2010. As currently defined, ''Clinopodium'' includes both a core clade of this genus that includes the type species and a

that is a broad assemblage of

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

species designated ''Clinopodium'' alongside species included in 22 other genera. This "''Clinopodium'' complex" will need a systematic taxonomic and nomenclatural review before valid names can be designated.

Selected species

The genus ''Clinopodium'' is considered

by modern authors. The

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

classification below follows the clades outlined in Brauchler, et al (2010) with additional species data from Drew, et al (2017). New World species of ''Clinopodium'' that have not been sequenced are assumed to be part of the "New World group".

''Clinopodium''
sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''Clinopodium''
sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

''Clinopodium abyssinicum'' group

''Clinopodium acinos'' group

Allied to '' Ziziphora''.

''Clinopodium nepalense'' group

''Clinopodium simense'' group

New World group

Polyphyletic assemblage of

species assigned to ''Clinopodium'' intermixed with species from 22 other named genera (including '' Conradina'', ''

Minthostachys ''Minthostachys'' is a genus of the mint family Lamiaceae, comprising aromatic scandent shrubs. It occurs along the Andes from Northern Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to Central Argentina. Use and conservation The plants a ...

'', '' Monardella'', etc).

Unclear affiliation

Gallery

Steentijm.jpg, '' Clinopodium acinos'' Acinos alpinus 002.JPG, '' Clinopodium alpinum'' Clinopodium arkansanum 5475026.jpg, ''

Clinopodium glabrum ''Clinopodium arkansanum'' is a species of North American flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is commonly known as limestone calamint. Description ''Clinopodium arkansanum'' is a perennial herbaceous plant that can reach approximately ...

'' Calamintha ashei.jpg, '' Clinopodium ashei'' Clinopodium chinense subsp. grandiflorum 1.JPG, ''

Clinopodium chinense ''Clinopodium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, in the subtribe Menthinae. ''Clinopodium'' belongs to a large and complex group of genera including many New World mints such as ''Hedeoma'', ''Monarda'', and ''Pycnanthemum ...

'' Clinopodium coccineum01-Alabama.jpg, '' Clinopodium coccineum'' Micromeria corsica 3.JPG, '' Clinopodium corsicum'' Calamintha cretica.jpg, '' Clinopodium creticum'' Clinopodium dalmaticum kz03.jpg, '' Clinopodium dalmaticum'' Clinopodium dentatum (Calamintha dentata) - Bok Tower Gardens - DSC02109.jpg, '' Clinopodium dentatum'' Yerba Buena - Clinopodium douglasii.jpg, ''

Clinopodium douglasii ''Clinopodium douglasii'', (synonym ''Micromeria douglasii''), yerba buena, or Oregon tea is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from British Columbia southwards to Southern California and from the Pacific ...

'' Clinopodium glabellum.jpg, '' Clinopodium glabellum'' Clinopodium gracile toubana02.jpg, '' Clinopodium gracile'' Clinopodium grandiflorum 1.jpg, '' Clinopodium grandiflorum'' Clinopodium macranthum 2.JPG, '' Clinopodium macranthum'' Clinopodium menthifolium sl1.jpg, '' Clinopodium menthifolium'' Clinopodium micranthum 2.JPG, '' Clinopodium micranthum'' Calamintha nepeta 1654.jpg, '' Clinopodium nepeta'' Clinopodium serpyllifolium Habitus 2011-12-18 SierraMadrona.jpg, '' Clinopodium serpyllifolium'' Clinopodium umbrosum (7782544696).jpg, '' Clinopodium umbrosum''

References

Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Lamiaceae genera {{Lamiaceae-stub