A Reexamination of North American Satureja s. l. (Lamiaceae) in Light of Molecular Evidence

Abstract

Satureja s.l. (Lamiaceae) is a large complex (ca. 225 spp.) that is variably treated as comprising from one to as many as 17 genera. The North American representatives are usually assigned toCalamintha, Clinopodium, Micromeria, Piloblephis, orSatureja. A recent chloroplast DNA restriction site analysis indicates that inclusion ofSatureja s.str.,Micromeria, andPiloblephis in the group renders it non-monophyletic. After exclusion of these three genera, a study of morphological variation in the remainder of the complex suggests that it is best treated as three genera, two of which do not occur in North America (Cyclotrichium and “Obtegomeria” [Doroszenko, ined., to be validated else-where]). The third comprises ca. 100 species, 11 of them native to North America north of Mexico. WithSatureja s.str. excluded, the name with priority for the latter genus isClinopodium. The indigenous North American species and their more frequently used synonyms are tabulated. A new combination,Clinopodium chandleri, is made.