Synonyms: Teucridium Hook.f. APNI*
Spartothamnella Briq. APNI*
Description: Perennial herb or shrub; branches 4-angular; hairs simple, rarely branched; sessile glands usually present.
Leaves opposite, simple or 3-foliolate, margins entire, toothed or lobed; sessile or petiolate.
Sepals 5, mostly regularly fused; lobes ± acute. Corolla 1-lipped, with upper lobe reduced; mostly white to cream-coloured. Stamens 4, fertile, usually greatly exserted; anthers 2-locular and strongly divergent. Ovary scarcely 4-lobed; style inserted near apex of ovary; stigma 2-fid.
Mericarps slightly keeled or ± smooth.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 250 species, cosmopolitan with the Mediterranean region as a centre of diversity. Australia: c. 13 species (endemic), all States.
This genus now includes the species Teucrium junceum and Teucrium puberulum, two species previously included in the genus Spartothamnella, family Chloanthaceae; and Teucrium betchei previously Oncinocalyx betcheri in the family Verbenaceae.
Text by B. J. Conn: updated L. Murray Sep (2018) Key updated based on Bean (2018) Muelleria 37: 3 and Conn (1992) Flora of NSW Vol 3.
Taxon concept: APG IV
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Branchlets glabrous | Teucrium junceum |
| Branchlets sparsely to very densely hairy | 2 |
| 2 | Inflorescence a terminal spike or raceme; corolla mauve to purple | 3 |
| Inflorescence axillary, solitary or cymose, corolla white
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Petioles winged | Teucrium daucoides |
| Petioles not winged
Back to 2 | Teucrium argutum |
| 4 | Flowers sessile; calyx lobes slender and hooked at apex | 5 |
| Flowers pedicellate; calyx lobes triangular, not hooked
Back to 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Leaves simple and linear, entire | 6 |
| Leaves deeply lobed
Back to 4 | Teucrium sessiliflorum |
| 6 | Plant covered in simple hairs; corolla 5–7 mm long, white | Teucrium betchei |
| Plant covered with ± stellate hairs; corolla 2.5–3 mm long, greenish white
Back to 5 | Teucrium puberulum |
| 7 | Inflorescence 5–20-flowered | 8 |
| Inflorescence 1–3-flowered
Back to 4 | 9 |
| 8 | Leaves narrow-ovate; inflorescence, leaves and branches densely covered with short mostly antrorse simple hairs | Teucrium corymbosum |
| Leaves ovate; inflorescence, leaves and branches densely covered with long, spreading multicelular gland-tipped hairs
Back to 7 | Teucrium sp. D sensu Conn (1992) |
| 9 | Corolla up to 6 mm long | Teucrium albicaule |
| Corolla 8–14 mm long
Back to 7 | Teucrium racemosum |
|
