Lamiaceae Martinov

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The plant family Lamiaceae was named and described by Ivan Ivanovič Martinov in Tekhno-Botanicheskīĭ Slovarʹ in 1820.

This family includes many well-known and loved genera many people use every day. I am not sure how many pages of annuals, perennials, and wildflowers I have on this site in the family, but there are quite a few…

As of 12-19-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 232 genera in this family commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. 

I have grown several members of this family as well as identified many wildflowers on the farm. Many are scented and have herbal and culinary uses. You can click on the name under the photos to go to their own pages. There are many photos and my experiences, growing information, and descriptions. Some of the wildflowers pages don’t have descriptions YET but there are many links to help with a positive ID.

For more information about this family of plants, please click on the links below. The links take you directly to the information about the family.

PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE
WIKIPEDIA
BRITANNICA

I bought my first Agastache ‘Black Adder’ (Giant Hyssop) in the spring of 2014. I put it in the bed next to the side porch. It did very well and I really loved the plant. We have a few deer but they normally don’t venture too close to the house. However, they did just to eat a few flowers off this plant. Kind of strange, though, because Agastache is supposed to be deer resistant. Sadly, though, this plant did not return the following spring and I couldn’t find another one. A whole bed of these would be AWESOME!

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I planted three Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ (Dwarf Hummingbird Mint) in 2018. These were developed by Terra Nova to be a shorter plant. They did GREAT over the summer in 2018 but did not return in 2019…

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I brought my Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’ (Hummingbird Mint) home from Wildwood Greenhouse on June 7 in 2018. I bought three plants so they would nicely fill in an area on the left side of the porch on the north side of the house.

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I found this lone Agastache nepetoides (Yellow Giant Hyssop) on a friends farm while wildflower hunting in the secluded woods. I went back several times, hoping for flowers, but got busy later on and didn’t get to go back. I borrowed photos with flowers from another member of iNaturalist for this plants page…

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I brought the Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chip’ home from Lowe’s in 2009 0r 2021 when I lived in Mississippi. They grew and multiplied so I spread them around. I brought several with me when I moved back to the family farm in west-central Missouri. They are still alive and doing quite well.

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I brought this Coleus forsteri ‘Marginatus’ home as a cutting in 2012 when I was living in Mississippi. When I was a kid, out neighbor gave me a cutting of her Swedish Ivy which had green leaves. This plant has been known as Plectranthus forsteri since 1892 but the species was moved to the Coleus genus. The name change was explained in a document in 2019 and is the result of phylogenetic testing. As a result of testing, I think 212 species were moved… Most of the information online is still for the former scientific name… Most will change the name in time.

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Coleus scutellarioides (Coleus)… Since 2009, I have grown 18 cultivars plus another 12 that are unnamed I couldn’t figure out. Many plant companies have cultivars (or varieties) that look a lot alike with their own names. Many scientific names have been used for the Coleus but FINALLY, it went back to Coleus scutellarioides, the name it was given in 1830. As of 11-28-21 when the Coleus pages were updated, Plants of the World Online lists 62 synonyms of this species…

Clicking on the link above will take you to the Coleus page. There you will find more information and clicking on the names will take you to each cultivar’s own page. I have my favorites, but that is a secret… 🙂 I haven’t grown any for a few years because getting good ones locally has become difficult…

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I have A LOT of Glechoma hederaceae (Ground Ivy) mainly in the “other” front yard where my grandparent’s old home used to be. I don’t worry about them being rather pushy because they are growing in the shade where the grass won’t grow. There are also colonies growing among the Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit) and Lamium purpureum (Dead Nettle). When very young, Glechoma hederacea looks a lot like Lamium purpureum… I also took photos of this species in the woods at a friend’s farm in 2020 that were much bigger. Well, they don’t get mowed off. Common names include Ground Ivy, Creeping Charlie, Gill-Over-The-Ground, Alehoof, Turnhoof, Catsfoot, Field Balm, Run-Away-Robin, and probably others…

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This is the Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit) with its frilly leaves. They grow in abundance in early spring and are a good food source for bees. They are among the first spring flowers along with Lamium purpureum and Glechoma hederacea. Common names include Henbit, Greater Henbit, Henbit Dead-Nettle, and maybe others…

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I brought this Lamium galeobdolon (Yellow Archangel) home from Lowe’s in 2010 when I lived in Mississippi. The label said it was a Spotted Dead Nettle which is a common name of Lamium maculatum. Common names for Lamium galeobdolon include Yellow Archangel, Golden Dead Nettle, Yellow Henbit, Yellow Lamium, and probably others…

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I suppose Lamium purpureum (Deadnettle) is my favorite of the two Lamium species growing on my farm because of their leaves. I was surprised to find several with white flowers in an area behind the chicken house in 2020.

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I brought this Lavandula angustifolia ‘Platinum Blonde’™ (English Lavender) home from Lowe’s in 2014 and put in the bed on the north side of the house. It did great until an unnamed Coleus wanted to take over while I was busy doing other things. I had to do some trimming… Unfortunately, this plant didn’t return in 2015. Well, it wasn’t actually in an ideal location for winter survival… OUCH…

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Well, what can I say? I brought this Lavandula dentata (French Lavender) home in 2017 and put it in the bed on the north side of the house… Again, not in the best location for Lavender… It did great for the most part and had a few flowers which are my favorite among the genus.

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I bought this Leonotis leonurus (Lion’s Tail, Wild Dagga) in 2012 while living in Mississippi for its flowers. Well, it didn’t bloom in 2012 and likely the new owners of the mansion did away with all the perennials in the backyard. This plant has been used as a Cannabis substitute and its leaves smell like it… Personally, I have never tried either one.

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I brought this Mentha spicata (Spearmint) home from a local garden club plant sale in 2017 and planted it in front of the chicken house. It did great in 2017 but barely came up in 2018 and didn’t do very well. It didn’t return in 2019…

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I bought two pots of Monarda didyma Sugar Buzz™ ’Cherry Pops’ from a local greenhouse on June 7 in 2018 while I was plant shopping with my sister and brother-in-law. One plant continued to come up through 2020 but it was very cold in February 2021 and it didn’t come up… This was the only Monarda I had bought that lasted that long…

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I found this Monarda from the local garden club plant sale in 2017. I asked this one lady what species of Monarda it was and she said she would get the one who brought them. She told the lady I wanted to know the name of the plant. The lady who brought them came up to me and asked me what I wanted to know. I asked her what species of Monarda it was and she said it was bee balm… I knew that much already but I was hoping for the species and cultivar name. Well, you know how it is. Plants get passed around a lot especially if they do well. After some research, I decided it was surely a Monarda didyma… Unfortunately, it did not return in 2018 even though it did very well in 2017. Common names include Scarlet Beebalm, Bergamot, Oswego Tea, Firecracker Plant, and probably others.

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While it has been difficult to get Monarda to grow in the flower beds, the Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) thrives on the farm and throughout the countryside. It seems like every year I see it in another area. In 2021 a clump even came up in the ditch along the road in front of my yard…

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I hadn’t seen any Nepeta cataria (Catmint) in the wild until I found this patch on a friend’s farm in 2019.

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I brought this Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ home in 2017 and put it in the corner by the back porch. It has done great and has never failed to come up. Some websites call it Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ but it is a sterile hybrid between Nepeta racemosa x Nepeta nepetella by Dutch nurseryman J.H. Faassen. They will form a spreading clump of fresh-scented leaves about 2’ tall x 3’ wide. They will grow upright then start to fall over toward the end of the season.

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I brought this Origanum vulgare (Oregano) home from a local garden club’s annual plant sale on May 20, 2017. I planted it in the new corner bed on the southeast corner of the house between the Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina). Later I transplanted several Marigold ‘Brocade’ among them which later all but took over. It didn’t return in 2018…

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I brought this Perilla frutescens ‘Magilla® Purple Perilla’ home in 2014. I liked its Coleus-like leaves and its color. It did great in a pot over the summer with no problem. I would bring home another one but I haven’t found any locally…

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I first noticed a small colony of Perilla frutescens (Beefsteak Plant) on September 4 in 2019 growing near the fence behind the pond in the back pasture. Their flowers weren’t open yet but they were still easy to identify on iNaturalist. Then on September 9 while I was helping a friend drive cattle on his farm, I found a HHHHUUUUGGGGEEEE colony… They were flowering and it was quite an impressive sight.

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Even though this Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’ (Jerusalem Sage) rarely flowers, it is still an impressive plant. I bought it from a seller on Ebay in 2013… I have moved this plant three times and it wasn’t very happy about it the last time. I really like its leaves but its flowers are also very interesting.

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I brought ONE Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) home from one of the local garden club’s plant sales in the spring of 2016. Well, this plant wasted no time filling in this corner of the old foundation of my grandparent’s old home. Its flowers first “appeared” white but when I took photos they had a pinkish tint. Over the years, the flowers turned pinker. Physostegia virginiana is a native wildflower and Missouri Plants says they are found throughout the state. I have never seen it in the wild and since these are in a flower bed I don’t treat them as a wildflower on this site. They are popular in perennial gardens but they can become invasive. That’s why I planted them in a corner so they can have at it…

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I brought a 4-pack of Plectranthus purpuratus (Purple Swedish Ivy) home from a local greenhouse (Wagler’s) on May 1 in 2019. I put them all in a large pot and they did absolutely great but I haven’t found any since… This South African species has the common names Purple Swedish Ivy, Vick’s Plant, Purple Spurflower, and maybe others. The name Vick’s Plant comes from the leaves smelling like Vicks Vaporub when crushed.

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I found quite a few Prunella vulgaris subsp. lanceolata (Common Self-Heal, ETC.) for the first time in the back pasture in 2019. I think the cows had been eating them before. They are a really neat species of wildflower I always like to see and one of my favorites. Very easy to identify. Common names include Common Self-Heal, Heal-All, Woundwort, Heart-of-the-Earth, Carpenter’s Herb, Brownwort, Aleutian Selfheal, Lance Selfheal, Heart of the Earth, Blue Curls, and maybe more. This species is edible and is used in herbal in traditional medicine.

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Salvia (the Sages)… I really like the perennial species of Salvia and have grown 13 different species and cultivars. You can click on the link which will take you to the page, then click on the plant names under their photos to take you to all their own pages.

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I always like the Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears) for their soft, furry, silvery-green leaves. Some information says they can become invasive but I haven’t had that problem. We have had our ups and downs, but they have always managed to survive the winter.

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There is a good-sized colony of Teucrium canadense var. canadense (American Germander) that always grows in the back pasture. In 2021, I found another HUGE colony in the south hayfield that had been previously hidden by blackberry briars and small trees. The area was mowed off in the fall of 2020 which allowed many species of wildflowers to grow.

That’s all I have experience with in the plant family Lamiaceae. I am sure there will be more in the future.