Parsimony analysis of rbcL sequences supports monophyly of the Labiata
e s.l., which includes the Labiatae, subfamilies Caryopteridoideae, Ch
loanthoideae, and Viticoideae of the Verbenaceae, and Symphoremataceae
. Representatives of subfamily Verbenoideae (Verbenaceae s. str.) do n
ot form a monophyletic group with the Labiatae s.l. Avicennia (Avicenn
iaceae), Cyclocheilon (Nesogenaceae), and Euthystachys and Retzia (Sti
lbaceae), included in the Verbenaceae by many authors, are distinct fr
om the Labiatae s.l. and Verbenaceae s. sh: The inferred phylogeny als
o provides a framework to interpret character evolution. Results sugge
st that uniovulate locules have evolved in at least two lineages of La
miales s.l. and that a gynoecium with four locules by the development
of false partitions apparently has evolved independently in the Labiat
ae s.l. and the Verbenaceae s. sir. Whereas a dry fruit is plesiomorph
ic in the Lamiales s.l., a fleshy fruit is plesiomorphic in the Labiat
ae s.l. with possible reversal in four lineages.