Stachys L. includes approximately 370 species, mainly distributed in the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia warm temperate regions. Several species within the genus are mostly identified as Stachys recta group and described as polymorphic with a large number of subordinate taxa. The centre of diversity and presumably also the evolutionary centre of the group lies in the Central and Southeast Europe. To elucidate systematic relationships, we will apply an integrative taxonomic approach using a combination of traditional (morphometric), modern (DNA sequencing) phylogenetic and cytogenetic methods, using a complete taxonomic and broad geographical sample.