Figwort family is a large group of herbs, shrubs, and small trees. The scientific name for this family is Scrophulariaceae << `skrof` yuh `lair` ee AY see ee >> . Some plants in the figwort family are used in medicines. These have bell-shaped flowers that are divided into two lips. The flowers grow at the top of a slender stem, while the leaves often grow in pairs on the stem.
The figwort family flourishes especially in temperate regions. It includes wildflowers and weeds such as mullein, butter-and-eggs, speedwell, and lousewort. The cultivated varieties include butterfly bushes and Cape fuchsias. Certain figworts live partially as parasites on other plants. Scrophularia, from which the family is named, is a medicinal figwort. People at one time believed that it would cure scrofula.
