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Antirrhinum is a genus of plants in the family Scrophulariaceae, more commonly known as snapdragons, from the fancied resemblance of the flowers to the face of a dragon. The taxonomy of this genus is very unclear at present. At one extreme, ITIS recognises only one species in the genus, the Garden Snapdragon , Antirrhinum majus. At the other, Thompson (1988) treated 36 species in the genus (though new species continue to be discovered, see for example Romo et al., 1995), and many modern botanist continue to discuss "Antirrhinum sensu Thompson".

Recent research in the molecular systematics of this group, and related species, by Oyama and Baum (2004), has confirmed that the genus as described by Thompson is monophyletic, provided that one species (A. cyathiferum) is removed to a separate genus, and two others (previously listed as Mohavea confertiflora and M. breviflora) are included. The species list at the right follows these conclusions. It is widely agreed that this broad group should be subdivided into three or four subgroups, but the level at which this should be done, and exactly which species should be grouped together, remain unclear. Some authors continue to follow Thompson in using a large genus Antirrhinum, which is then divided into several sections; others treat Thompson's genus as a tribe or subtribe, and divide it into several genera.

If we accept the broad genus, its sections are as follows:

• Section Antirrhinum: about 20 Old World species of perennial plants, including Antirrhinum majus, mostly native to the western Mediterranean region with a focus on the Iberian Peninsula.
• Section Saerorhinum: about 16 New World species, mostly annual plants and mostly native to CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located in the western United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. The most populous and third largest state in the U. California is both physically and demographically diverse. The state's official nickname is "The Golden State", wh, though species are found from OregonOregon is a state located in the western United States bordering the Pacific Ocean, California, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Its northern border lies along the Columbia River and the east along the Snake River. Two north-south mountain ranges the Coasta to Baja California SurESTADO DE BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR Other Mexican States Capital La Paz Other major cities Cabo San Lucas list of municipalities Area73,475 km² Ranked 9th Population(2000 census)423,500 Ranked 32nd Governor(1999-2005) Leonel E. Cota Montano ( PRD) Federal Deput and as far east as UtahUtah ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Beehive State Other U. States Capital Salt Lake City Largest City Salt Lake City Governor Olene Walker Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 13th 220,080 km² 212,988 km² 7,092 km² 3. 2% Population Total ( 2000). Like other authors, Thompson placed A. cyathiferum in this section, but Oyama and Baum, following earlier authors, suggest that it should be reclassified in genus Pseudorontium , while Mohavea confertiflora and M. breviflora should be included. Some authors classify the species in this section into general Sairocarpus, Howelliella and Neogaerrhinum
• Section Orontium: two species, also Mediterranean. The type species for this section, the Lesser Snapdragon or Linearleafed Snapdragon A. orontium, is often treated in the genus Misopates.

The Garden Snapdragon is an important garden plant; cultivated varieties of this species have showy white, crimson, or yellow bilabiate flowers. It is also important as a model organismA model organism is one that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. This works because evolution reu in botanical research, and its genomeGenome is also a popular science book by Matt Ridley. In biology, the genome of an organism is a complete DNA sequence of one set of chromosomes; for example, one of the two sets that a diploid individual carries in every somatic cell. When people say tha has been studied in detail.

While Antirrhinum majus is the plant that is meant if the word "snapdragon" is used on its own, many other species in the genus, and in the family Scrophulariaceae more widely, have common names that include the word "snapdragon".