''Stachys'' is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family

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 ...

.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pages 167–275. In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' volume VII. Springer-Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany. Estimates of the number of

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), ...

vary from about 300, to about 450.Mabberley, D. J. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. ''Stachys'' is in the subfamily

Lamioideae Lamioideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Lamiaceae. Genera include: * '' Acanthoprasium'' * '' Achyrospermum'' * ''Acrotome'' * '' Ajugoides'' * ''Anisomeles'' * '' Ballota'' * '' Betonica'' * '' Brazoria'' * '' Chaiturus'' * '' Chamae ...

and its

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 ...

is ''

Stachys sylvatica ''Stachys sylvatica'', commonly known as hedge woundwort, whitespot, or sometimes as hedge nettle, is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to tall in woodland and unmanaged grassland. In temperate zones of the northern hemisphere it flowers in ...

''.''Stachys'' In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In:

Regnum Vegetabile The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) is an organization established to promote an understanding of plant biodiversity, facilitate international communication of research between botanists, and oversee matters of uniformity and ...

(see ''External links'' below). The precise extent of the genus and its relationship to other genera in the subfamily are poorly known.

Range and naming

The

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

of the genus covers

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s include hedgenettle, heal-all, self-heal, woundwort, betony, and lamb's ears. Wood betony, ''S. officinalis'', was the most important

medicinal herb 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 Plant defense against h ...

to the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

s of early

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

England, and was used for many medicinal purposes from Ancient Roman times to the Early Modern period. ''Stachys'' was named by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

'' in 1753.Carolus Linnaeus. 1753. ''Species Plantarum'' 2:580. Laurentii Salvii. (see ''External Links'' below). The

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

is derived from the Greek word σταχυς (''stachys''), meaning "an ear of grain",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). (see ''External links'' below). and refers to the fact that the

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is often a spike. The name woundwort derives from the past use of certain species in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

for the treatment of wounds.

Human uses

The

Chinese artichoke Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

or Crosne ('' S. affinis''), is grown for its edible

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

. Several species are cultivated as ornamentals. Woolly betony ('' S. byzantina'') is a popular decorative garden plant. Wood betony ('' S. officinalis'') was historically a highly valued medicinal plant.

Use by other species

''Stachys'' 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 the

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s '' Coleophora auricella'', '' C. lineolea'', and '' C. wockeella'', all recorded on ''S. officinalis''. They are also widely used by the European wool carder bee (''Anthidium manicatum''), which scrape the hairs from the plant in order to use them for building their nests.

Description

''Stachys'' 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 ...

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

s and annual or

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

. The stems vary from tall, with

simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

opposite In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is ''even'' entails that it is not ''odd''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members i ...

triangular A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimensional ...

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, long with serrate margins. In most species, the leaves are softly hairy. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are long, clustered in the

axils A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, f ...

of the leaves on the upper part of the stem. The corolla is 5-lobed with the top lobe forming a 'hood', varying from white to pink, purple, red or pale yellow.

Circumscription

The distinction between ''Stachys'' and other genera is unclear and has varied from one author to another. In 2002, a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study Study or studies may refer to: General * Education **Higher education * Clinical trial * Experiment * Field of study * Observational study * Scientific study * Research * Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning Other * Study ...

showed that ''

Stachys officinalis ''Betonica officinalis'', common name betony is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Other vernacular names include wood betony, common hedgenettle, purple betony, bishopw ...

'' is not closely related to the rest of the genus.Lindqvist, C. and V. A. Albert. 2002
Origin of the Hawaiian endemic mints within North American ''Stachys'' (Lamiaceae).
''American Journal of Botany'' 89(10), 1709–24. This study also found six other genera to be embedded within ''Stachys'' as it is currently circumscribed. The embedded genera are ''Prasium'', ''Phlomidoschema'', ''

Sideritis ''Sideritis'', also known as ironwort, mountain tea, Greek tea and shepherd's tea, is a genus of flowering plants known for their use as herbal medicine, commonly as a herbal tea. They are abundant in Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberi ...

'', ''Haplostachys'', ''

Phyllostegia ''Phyllostegia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described in 1840. It is native to certain islands in the Pacific (Hawaii, Tonga and the Society Islands, although it appears to be extinct in the Society Islands ...

'', and ''Stenogyne''.

Fossil record

†'' Stachys pliocenica'' fossil seeds are known from Upper

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

strata of Bulgaria and

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Stachys cretica''.

Diversity

Selected species include: Stachys tenuifolia var

Stachys alpina fontaine-des-carmes 55 080602 1

*''

Stachys affinis ''Stachys'' is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pages 167–275. In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants ...

'' Bunge – Chinese artichoke *'' Stachys ajugoides''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

– bugle hedgenettle *'' Stachys alabamica'' B.R.Keener & L.J.Davenp. – Alabama hedgenettle *''

Stachys albens ''Stachys albens'', also known as whitestem hedgenettle or white hedgenettle, is a mint endemic to California. ''S. albens'' flowers have a 2-lipped, 5-lobed calyx, which is densely cob-webby and white to pinkish in color with purplish veins. T ...

'' A.Gray – white hedgenettle, whitestem hedgenettle *'' Stachys albicaulis'' Lindl. *''

Stachys alpina ''Stachys'' is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pages 167–275. In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants ...

'' L. – alpine woundwort *'' Stachys annua'' (L.) L. – annual woundwort *'' Stachys arvensis'' L. – staggerweed, field woundwort Stachys byzantina flowers

*'' Stachys bullata'' Benth. *''

Stachys byzantina ''Stachys byzantina'' (syn. ''S. lanata''), the lamb's-ear (lamb's ear) or woolly hedgenettle, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family (botany), family Lamiaceae, native to Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.Euro+Med Plantbase''Stachys byzantin ...

'' K.Koch – woolly betony, lamb's ear *'' Stachys candida'' Bory & Chaub. *'' Stachys chamissonis'' Benth. – great hedge nettle, coastal hedge nettle *''Stachys chamissonis'' var. ''cooleyae'' (A.Heller) G.A.Mulligan & D.B.Munro – Cooley's hedge nettle *'' Stachys chrysantha'' Boiss. & Heldr. *'' Stachys citrina'' Benth. *'' Stachys clingmanii'' Small – Clingman's hedge nettle *'' Stachys coccinea'' Ortega Stachys cooleyae 3949

*''

Stachys corsica ''Stachys'' is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pages 167–275. In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants ...

'' Pers. *'' Stachys cretica'' L. *''

Stachys debilis ''Stachys debilis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and subtropical or ...

'' Kunth *'' Stachys ehrenbergii'' Boiss. *'' Stachys floridana'' Benth. – Florida hedgenettle, Florida betony *'' Stachys germanica'' L. – downy woundwort *'' Stachys glutinosa'' L. *'' Stachys hispida'' Pursh – rough hedge-nettle *'' Stachys hyssopifolia'' Michx. *'' Stachys iva'' Griseb. *'' Stachys lavandulifolia'' Vahl *'' Stachys libanotica'' Benth. *'' Stachys manantlanensis'' B.L.Turner *'' Stachys mexicana'' Benth. – Mexican hedge nettle *'' Stachys milanii'' Magnier Stachys palustris 2005

*'' Stachys nelsonii'' B.R.Keener & L.J.Davenp. – Nelson's hedgenettle *''

Stachys palustris ''Stachys palustris'', commonly known as marsh woundwort, marsh betony, clown's woundwort, clown's heal-all, marsh hedgenettle, or hedge-nettle,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario ...

'' L. – marsh woundwort, marsh hedge-nettle *'' Stachys pumila'' Banks & Sol. *'' Stachys pycnantha'' Benth. *''

Stachys recta ''Stachys recta'', commonly known as stiff hedgenettle or perennial yellow-woundwort, is herbaceous perennial plant of the family Lamiaceae. Etymology The generic epithet is derived from the Greek word σταχυς (''stachys''), meaning "an ea ...

'' L. – yellow woundwort *'' Stachys riederi'' Cham. *'' Stachys rigida'' Benth. – rough hedgenettle *'' Stachys sprucei'' Briq. *'' Stachys stricta'' Greene *''

'' L. – hedge woundwort *'' Stachys tenuifolia'' Willd. – smooth hedgenettle

Formerly placed here

*''

Agastache foeniculum ''Agastache foeniculum'' ( syn. ''Agastache anethiodora'' ( Nutt.) Britton), commonly called anise hyssop, blue giant hyssop, Fragrant giant hyssop, or the lavender giant hyssop, is a species of perennial plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). T ...

'' (Pursh) Kuntze (as ''S. foeniculum'' Pursh) *''

Leonurus japonicus ''Leonurus japonicus'', commonly called oriental motherwort or Chinese motherwort, is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Asia, including Korea and Japan, and China to Cambodia. Description Plants are annual or biennial, growing from taproots ...

'' Houtt. (as ''S. artemisia'' Lour.) *'' Stachys monieri'' (Gouan) P.W.Ball, now in the synonymy of ''

Betonica officinalis ''Betonica officinalis'', common name betony is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Other vernacular names include wood betony, common hedgenettle, purple betony, bishopw ...

'' *'' Betonica macrantha'' K.Koch (as ''S. macrantha'' (K.Koch) Stearn) *''

'' L. (as ''S. officinalis'' (L.) Trevis.)

References

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

Lamiaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus