Scrophulariaceae

42 genera, 1,460 species Widely distributed from temperate to tropical regions, especially diverse in Africa.

Leaves alternate or opposite, stipules absent, flowers zygomorphic, anther commonly opening by single slit, carpels 2, ovary superior, 2-chambered, ovules many, fruit a capsule. 

Verbascum (360 species), Scrophularia (230), Selago (150), Sutera (140), Budleja (100), Manulea (55) and Nuxia (30). 

Herbs or small shrubs (Budleja), often with Iridoids, hairs usually simple, when glandular with short discoid head composed of many cells and with vertical partitions. Leaves alternate or opposite, rarely whorled, simple, entire or dentate, venation pinnate, reticulate, stipules absent. Inflorescence racemose: racemes or spikes. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, or almost actinomorphic, hypogynous. Calyx with 3-5 sepals, connate, persistent. Corolla with 4- 5 petals, united, usually bilabiate, or with narrow tube broadening upwards, sometimes with nectar sac or spur, imbricate. Androecium with usually 5 stamens, rarely 4 or 2, epipetalous, inserted in corolla tube, filaments free, sometimes hairy (Verbascum), anther bilocular, anther sac confluent and opening by single slit right angles to filament, anther base not sagittate, pollen grains tricolporate. Gynoecium with 2 united carpels, ovary superior, bilocular, ovules several to 1 (Selago) in each chamber, axile placentation, style 1, stigma bilobed, ovary seated on a nectary. Fruit a septicidal capsule, or schizocarp with two nutlets (Selago); seed with curved or straight embryo, endosperm present. Pollination by insects. Seeds or nutlets dispersed by wind. 

The family has little economic importance. Verbascum is sometimes grown as ornamental. Budleja and Nuxia are commonly grown as ornamentals. 

The family is closely related to Acanthaceae sharing the features of zygomorphic flowers, pentamerous flowers, stamens less than 5, bicarpellate superior ovary and fruit a capsule. Scrophulariaceae are distinct in presence of endosperm, anthers opening by single slit and the absence of retinaculum. The genera including Veronica, Linaria, Antirrhinum, Digitalis, etc. formerly included under Scrophulariaceae  have been variously separated under Antirrhinaceae (Thorne, 1999, 2000) or Plantaginaceae (Judd et al., 2002, APG II and APweb, Thorne, 2006, 2007). The Budlejaceae and Selaginaceae have been merged with Scrophulariaceae in these systems. Monophyly of Scrophulariaceae is clearly supported by morphology, rbcL and ndhF sequences (Olmstead and Reeves, 1995). Verbascum and Scrophularia form a clade characterised by hairy filaments, endosperm development and distinctive seeds and are sister to rest of genera. Selago and relatives (former Selaginaceae) form a clade based on uniovulate locules and achene-like fruits. Budleja is very much paraphyletic, but several lines of evidence place it here (Maldonado de Magnano, 1986b); Teedia and Oftia have strong support as the sister group to Budleja s. l. (Wallick et al. 2001, 2002).