Abstract: Labiatae is a cosmopolitan bigger family. It contains about 221 genera (among them 63 genera are monotypic) and about 6,000 species. Most genera distributed in old World, and only 40 genera are endemic to New World. Widely distributed genera are Teucrium, Scutellaria, Prunella, Stachys, Salvia, Micromeria and Ocimum. There are 13 genera having more than 100 species, e. g. Salvia (700-1050 species), Hyptis (350-400), Thymus(300- 400), Scutellaria (300), Stachys (c. 300), Nepeta (250), Teucrium (100-300), Pogostemon (140-160), Plectranthus s.str. (c.200), Rabdosia(150), Micromeria (130), Ocimum (l00-150), and Phlomis (c.100). Many of the widely distributed and bigger genera mainly concentrated in Mediterrancan Region and Near East to Central Asia.

Key words: evolution, distribution, labiatae