Contemporary Circumscription Compared with A Utah Flora 4th ed.

Bio430

Scrophulariaceae

This family’s circumscription has varied considerably over the years, with various related families being pulled in or out by different authors.  There are still a lot of taxa to sample, but molecular data have clarified relationships considerably, resulting in a much smaller and less significant Scrophulariaceae.  Many genera such as Penstemon now belong in Plantaginaceae and this family should be consulted for much of the former diversity; Mimulus is in Phrymaceae; and the parasitic/semi parasitic species such as Castellaja are now in Orobanchaceae; the photos below (but not the colored illustration panel) include only the narrow, more recent circumscription of the family.  In class, photos of many segregate genera were or will be presented.  See photos of Orobanchaceae • Plantaginaceae • Phrymaceae

Key Features

Zygomorphic flowers with capsules, estipulate leaves alternate or opposite, stamens generally 2 or 4, a staminode present or not; the characteristics for this family in its old sense generally matches the characterization of Plantaginaceae now.