Abstract:Pogostemon Desf. consists of about 80 species and is the largest genus in the tribe Pogostemoneae, subfamily Lamioideae, family Lamiaceae. Pogostemon cablin, which belongs to the subgenus Pogostemon, is the representative species of the genus due to its secondary metabolite (patchouli oil) widely used in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry. The presence of exserted stamens bearing moniliform hairs is an important character to distinguish the genus from all other members circumscribed in the same tribe. The circumscription of the genus has been changed in large extent based on the consideration of results from phylogenetic analyses, and a new infrageneric classification system of the genus was also provided recently based on evidence from molecular and morphological data. Here in, advances in phylogenetic and taxonomic studies of Pogostemon were given. Moreover, some useful recommendations for further phylogenetic and taxonomic studies on the genus were provided, which would be important for further investigation and evaluation of plant resources of the genus. Twenty-nine species and two varieties in the genus were recorded in China, and a key to these taxa was provided.
