604 
VERBENA 
remedy in eye-diseases, its bright-eyed corolla, like that of Euphrasia, 
being supposed, under the old doctrine of signatures, to indicate its 
virtues in that direction. Several sp. are cultivated for their handsome 
and sweetly-scented firs. 
Verbenaceae. Dicotyledons (Sympet. Tubiflorae). About 67 gen. 
with 750 sp., almost all trop. and subtrop. Herbs, shrubs or trees. 
A number are lianes (p. 170), e.g . sp. of Lantana, Clerodendron, 
Vitex ; xerophytes also, often armed with thorns, are frequent in the 
order. Leaves usually opp., rarely whorled or alt., entire or divided, 
exstip. The infl. may be racemose or cymose. In the former case 
it is most often a spike or head, often with an involucre of coloured 
bracts. The cymes are usually dichasia with a cincinnus tendency (cf. 
Caryophyllaceae) ; sometimes they also form heads. 
Fir. usually g » zygomorphic, usually 5-merous. K (5) [or (4 — 8)], 
hypogynous ; C (5), usually with narrow tube, rarely campanulate, 
often 2-lipped ; A 4, didynamous, rarely 5 or 2, or of equal length, 
alt. with corolla-lobes, with introrse anthers; G usually (2), rarely (4) 
or (5). Ovary superior, usually 4-lobed, originally 2- (or more) loc., 
but very early divided into 4 (or more) loc. by the formation of a ‘ false’ 
septum in each loc. (cf. Labiatae) ; placentae axile, with 2 ovules per 
cpl. (i.e. 1 in each loc. after septation); ovules ana- to ortho-tropous, 
basal, lateral or pendulous, but always with the micropyle directed 
downwards. Style terminal, rarely more or less sunk between the 
lobes of the ovary (contrast Labiatae) ; stigma usually lobed. Fruit 
generally a drupe, more rarely a capsule or a schizocarp. Seed usually 
exalbuminous. 
Several of the V. are useful as sources of timber, e.g. Tectona. 
.See also Lippia, Priva, Clerodendron, &c., for other economic uses. 
Classificatio 7 i and chief genera (after Briquet) : 
A. Infl. spicate or racemose. Ovule usually basal, erect, ana- 
tropous. 
I. STILBOIDEAE (endosperm): Stilbe. 
II. VERBENOIDEAE (no endosperm) : Verbena, Lantana, 
Lippia, Priva, Petraea, Citharexylum. 
B. Infl. of cymose type. Cymes often united into panicles, 
corymbs &c. ; if axillary, often reduced to 1 flr. 
a. Ovule lateral (sometimes very high up) semi-anatropous. 
Ovary fully or imperfectly 4 — io-loc. 
III. CHLOANTHOIDEAE (fruit usually drupaceous, never 
capsular ; endosperm) : Chloanthes. 
IV. VITICOIDEAE (as III, but no endosperm) : Callicarpa, 
Tectona, Vitex, Clerodendron. 
V. CARYOPTERIDOIDEAE (fruit capsule-like, 4-valved: 
the valves fall taking the stones with them or loosen them 
from the placental axis) : Caryopteris. 
b. Ovule apical, pendulous, orthotropous. 
