herbs or small shrubs, with iridoids simple hairs, leaves alternate or opposite, simple entire to toothed, with pinnate venation, without stipules, inflorescences indeterminate, terminal flowers bisexual, bilateral to nearly radial, sepals usually 3-5, connate Several genera classified in new families: Digitalis, Veronica, Linaria and Mimulus now in Plantaginaceae Paulownia now in Bignoniaceae Rhinanthus, Melampyrum, Euphrasia, Pedicularis now in Orobranchaceae (all semiparasitic)
Distribution
worldwide, especially diverse in Africa
Floral characters
bisexual, bilateral to nearly radial, sepals usually 3-5, connate petals 4or 5, connate hypogynous corolla often 2 lipped stamens 5,4 or 2 inflorescences indeterminate, terminal
Leaf characters
alternate or opposite, simple, entire to toothed, with pinnate venation, without stipules
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
schizocarp of two achenes or septicidal capsule
Glands
present or absent
Hairs
present
Latex
absent
Odor
unknown
Uses
Ornamentals: Verbascum
Chemical characters
Iridoids
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Scrophulariaceae
map: from Hultén 1958, 1971; van Steenis & van Balgooy 1966; Meusel et al. 1978; Leeuwenberg 1979; Hong 1983; Hilliard 1994; Norman 2000
