ON THE TAXONOMIC STATUS OF THE GENUS <i>ACINOS (LAMIACEAE)</i>
The article represents the discussion of the relationships of the genus Acinos with four related genera: Clinopodium, Calamintha, Satureja and Ziziphora. The history of the taxonomic studies of the genera Acinos and Ziziphora, as well as the position of the latter in the family is traced. Earlier, comparative morphological (López González, Bayer, 1988) and molecular phylogenetic (Brauchler et al., 2010; Drew, Sytsma, 2012; etc.) data showed the close relationship between the genera Acinos and Ziziphora. In this context, we have made an attempt to confirm these data with additional morphological features. It is shown that the features shared by both genera are: 1. presence of annuals; 2. Ziziphora-type venation of the calyx; 3. common structure of multicellular simple hairs on the calyx; 4. flattened pedicels; 5. identical or similar type of leaf venation (craspedodromous, marginal or transition to margial). In favor of the hypothesis of relationship of these two genera, examples from an article by G. López González and E. Bayer (1988) are given, with some additions, namely the androecium structure, the calyx shape, the chromosome number. We also briefly discuss the results of published molecular phylogenetic studies of the group. We propose to unite the genera Acinos and Ziziphora; all species formerly beonging to the former being transferred to a separate subgenus of the genus Ziziphora. The appropriate nomenclature combinations are proposed.