A survey of Lamiaceae in the flora of Iran

In Iran, the Lamiaceae family is represented by 46 genera, 406 species and 97 infraspecific taxa; of these, 165 taxa are endemic. The distribution of family in Iran covers the whole country but the species number decreases from the centre towards the east, south-east and south. The distribution pattern of endemic taxa shows that Chaharmahal-va- Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Tehran, Azarbayejan, Kohgiloueh-va-Boirahamad, Lurestan and Hamadan provinces are the hot spots for speciation of the family and in these provinces most of the endemic taxa occur. From the conservation point of view, 14 species are suspected of being extinct, or very rare and 55 taxa rare and endangered and are in a critical condition because of their narrow distribution. These taxa have been recorded only from one location in Iran and need special attention and must be considered in conservation programs. Nonetheless, there are a few species with very wide distributions and high frequency. Some of these species occur in ruderal or disturbed habitats.