Scrophulariaceae Family Notes

This page last modified on 12 June, 2004

Until recently, the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) family included many of the most commonly seen wildflower genera of the San Diego coastal and foothill areas.  But studies of the evolutionary ancestry of these plants have resulted in reassignment of most of those genera to the Orobanchaceae (Broom-Rape) and Veronicaceae (Veronica or Plantain) families.  The very common Mimulus (Monkey Flower) genus has been assigned to it's own family Phrymaceae. A readily accessible summary of these changes may be found in the article Whatever Happened to the Scrophulariaceae? by Richard G. Olmstead in the journal Fremontia, vol 30 #2, April 2002 published by the California Native Plant Society - available online at
    http://www.cnps.org/publications/publications.htm#fremontia

While Olmstead notes that the Myoporaceae (Myoporum) family is now considered to be nested within Scrophulariaceae, I have chosen to keep photos of the common non-native Myoporum bush separate in their own family group.  The Myoporum flower is regular (radially symmetric), and thus almost unique visually relative to other members of the original Scrophulariaceae complex seen in San Diego County.