Molecular Phylogenetics of Lamiaceae Taxa

The mint family (Lamiaceae) represents one of the largest and most economically significant angiosperm groups, encompassing a vast array of culinary herbs, medicinal plants, aromatics and ornamentals. Molecular phylogenetics has revolutionised our understanding of its evolutionary history by harnessing both chloroplast and nuclear genome data to resolve relationships at subfamilial, tribal and generic levels. High-throughput sequencing of complete plastomes and targeted gene regions has enabled reconstruction of a robust phylogenetic backbone, revealing twelve primary clades that correspond to recognised subfamilies and uncovering novel lineages warranting taxonomic revision. Integrative analyses combining single-copy and repetitive regions, simple sequence repeats and intergenic spacers have improved resolution among closely related species and facilitated species delimitation and DNA barcoding. These efforts have illuminated patterns of diversification in response to geological events—such as uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau—and global climate shifts, and have provided a framework for biogeographic inference, conservation genetics and the sustainable use of economically valuable taxa.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have assembled and compared complete chloroplast genomes within the genus Stachys, revealing highly conserved quadripartite structures across eight species. Detailed annotation identified 131–132 genes, multiple simple sequence repeats and six hypervariable regions that serve as powerful molecular markers. Phylogenomic analyses using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods confirmed the placement of Stachys within the tribe Stachydeae and refined its intrageneric relationships. Foundational work employing large-scale chloroplast sequencing of nearly 300 species provided the first comprehensive phylogenetic backbone for Lamiaceae, delineating twelve well-supported primary clades corresponding to subfamilies and prompting the recognition of three novel subfamilies. Another key investigation combined nuclear (ETS, ITS) and five chloroplast loci to resolve the tribe Elsholtzieae, demonstrating its monophyly, subdividing it into five clades, dating major divergences to the Eocene and Miocene, and linking diversification to tectonic uplift and Miocene climate change.

Molecular Phylogenetics of Lamiaceae Taxa publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular phylogenetics of lamiaceae taxa across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Plastome: Complete sequence of the chloroplast genome, widely used for resolving plant phylogenies.

Quadripartite structure: Organisation of chloroplast genomes into large single-copy, small single-copy and two inverted repeat regions.

Monophyly: Condition in which a group consists of an ancestor and all its descendants, forming a single clade.

Bayesian inference: Statistical approach that estimates phylogenetic trees by calculating the probability of hypotheses based on observed genetic data.

Maximum likelihood: Method that identifies the tree most likely to produce the observed data under a given model of evolution.

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs): Short, tandemly repeated DNA motifs that exhibit high polymorphism and serve as molecular markers.

References

1. Comparative Analysis of Plastomes in Elsholtzieae: Phylogenetic Relationships and Potential Molecular Markers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
2. Pharmacophylogenetic insights into Scutellaria strigillosa Hemsl.: chloroplast genome and untargeted metabolomics, quantitative analysis and antibacterial analysis. Frontiers in Plant Science (2024).
3. The complete Chloroplast genome of Stachys geobombycis and comparative analysis with related Stachys species. Scientific Reports (2024).
4. An updated tribal classification of Lamiaceae based on plastome phylogenomics. BMC Biology (2021).
5. A large-scale chloroplast phylogeny of the Lamiaceae sheds new light on its subfamilial classification. Scientific Reports (2016).
6. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the mint tribe Elsholtzieae (Nepetoideae, Lamiaceae), with an emphasis on its diversification in East Asia. Scientific Reports (2017).