''Lippia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after

Augustus Lippi Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

, (1678-1705), a French naturalist and botanist (with Italian origins). He was killed in Abyssinia. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

s, which vary between species but may include estragole,

carvacrol Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano. Natural occurrence Carvacrol is present in the essential oil of ''Origanum vulgare'' (oregano), oil of thyme, oil ob ...

, linalool, or limonene. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

of certain species, such as '' L. graveolens'', can be used as a culinary

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

similar to

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial pla ...

Selected species

* '' Lippia abyssinica'' ( Otto &

A.Dietr. Albert Gottfried Dietrich (8 November 1795 – 22 May 1856) was a German botanist born in Danzig. Dietrich was curator at the Botanical Garden in Berlin and was an instructor at the institute of horticulture at Berlin-Schöneberg. From 1833 to 185 ...

) Cufod. – Koseret; (Ethiopia) * ''

Lippia alba ''Lippia 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. In Ethiopia the plant is also known a ...

'' (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P.Wilson – Bushy lippia, white lippia ( Texas in the United States, Mexico, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, Central America, and South America) * '' Lippia carterae'' (Moldenke) G.L.Nesom – Licorice verbena ( Baja California, Mexico) * '' Lippia durangensis'' Moldenke * ''

Lippia graveolens ''Lippia graveolens'', a species of flowering plant in the verbena or vervain family, Verbenaceae, is native to the southwestern United States (Texas and southern New Mexico), Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Common names i ...

'' Kunth – Mexican oregano, scented lippia, scented matgrass (

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

, Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua) * '' Lippia javanica'' (Burm.f.) Spreng. * '' Lippia kituiensis'' Vatke * '' Lippia micromera'' Schauer – Spanish thyme (Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America) * ''

Lippia multiflora ''Lippia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustus Lippi, (1678-1705), a French naturalist and botanist (with Italian origins). He was killed in Abyssinia. The genus contains roughly 200 s ...

'' Moldenke * '' Lippia myriocephala'' Schltdl. & Cham. * '' Lippia palmeri'' S.Watson * '' Lippia pretoriensis'' H.Pearson * ''

Lippia rehmannii ''Lippia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustus Lippi, (1678-1705), a French naturalist and botanist (with Italian origins). He was killed in Abyssinia. The genus contains roughly 20 ...

'' H.Pearson * '' Lippia salicifolia'' Andersson ( Ecuador) * '' Lippia scaberrima'' Sond. * '' Lippia sidoides'' Cham. * ''

Lippia substrigosa ''Lippia substrigosa'' is a plant from the family Verbenaceae that is native to Central and South America. It can grow as either a shrub or a tree up to tall and can be burned to produce fuel. Its essential oil may have pharmaceutical or cosmeti ...

'' Turcz. * ''

Lippia thymoides ''Lippia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustus Lippi, (1678-1705), a French naturalist and botanist (with Italian origins). He was killed in Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia. The genus conta ...

'' Mart. & Schauer

Formerly placed here

* ''

Aloysia citrodora ''Aloysia citrodora'', lemon verbena, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family Verbenaceae, native to South America. Other common names include lemon beebrush. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish and the Portuguese in the 17th ce ...

'' Palau (as ''L. citrodora'' Kunth or ''L. triphylla'' (L'Hér.) Kuntze) * ''

Aloysia lycioides ''Aloysia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are known generally as beebrushes.

'' Cham. (as ''L. lycioides'' (Cham.) Steud.) * ''

Aloysia scorodonioides ''Aloysia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are known generally as beebrushes.Lantana montevidensis ''Lantana 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. This lantana is native to South America. Descrip ...

'' (Spreng.) Briq. (as ''L. montevidensis'' Spreng.) * ''

Lantana ukambensis ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in ...

'' (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 Phyla, the plural of ''phylum'', may refer to: * Phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of p ...

'' (Torr.) Greene (as ''L. cuneifolia'' (Torr.) Steud.) * ''

Phyla dulcis ''Phyla dulcis'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Lippia dulcis'') is a species of Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant that is native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean (Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico), Central America, Colombia, and Venezue ...

'' (Trevir.) Moldenke (as ''L. dulcis'' Trevir.) * '' Phyla lanceolata'' (Michx.) Greene (as ''L. lanceolata'' Michx.) * '' Phyla nodiflora'' (L.) Greene (as ''L. nodiflora'' (L.) Michx. or ''L. repens'' Spreng.) * '' Phyla stoechadifolia'' (L.) Small (as ''L. stoechadifolia'' (L.) Kunth)

References

Verbenaceae genera Herbs {{verbenaceae-stub