Lippia
| Lippia | |
|---|---|
| Lippia alba | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Verbenaceae |
| Genus: | Lippia L. |
| Type species | |
| Lippia americana L. | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Lippia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It was named after Augustin Lippi (1678–1705), a French naturalist and botanist (with Italian origins). He was killed in Abyssinia. The genus contains roughly 200 species of tropical shrubs that are found around the world. Plants are fragrant due to their essential oils, which vary between species but may include estragole, carvacrol, linalool or limonene. The leaves of certain species, such as L. graveolens, can be used as a culinary herb similar to oregano.