Oregano, Pot Marjoram
Origanum vulgare
Family: Lamiaceae or Labiatae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Pink, White. Main Bloom Time: Late Spring, Early Summer, Late summer, Midsummer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.
Origanum vulgare is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.8 m (2ft 7in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Dry grassy areas and scrub, usually on calcareous soils.
Most of Europe, including Britain, to north and west Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb. Oregano is an important flavouring herb in Mediterranean cookery, and is often used dried rather than fresh. The leaves are used as a flavouring for salad dressings, vegetables and legumes, and are frequently included in strongly flavoured dishes with chillies, garlic, onions etc. A nutritional analysis is available. Flowers, usually appear in late spring, are edible. Much of the commercially available dried oregano does not come from this plant but from a number of different, often unrelated plants. These include Lippia graveolens, L. palmeri and Origanum syriacum. A herb tea is made from the dried leaves and flowering stems.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 3
Oregano has been used as a culinary and medicinal herb for thousands of years. It has a beneficial effect upon the digestive and respiratory systems and is also used to promote menstruation. It should not be used medicinally by pregnant women though it is perfectly safe in small amounts for culinary purposes. The leaves and flowering stems are strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and mildly tonic. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, mild feverish illnesses, indigestion, stomach upsets and painful menstruation. It is strongly sedative and should not be taken in large doses, though mild teas have a soothing effect and aid restful sleep. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. Externally, oregano is used to treat bronchitis, asthma, arthritis and muscular pain. The plant can be used fresh or dried - harvest the whole plant (but not the roots) in late summer to dry and store for winter use. Oregano is often used in the form of an essential oil that is distilled from the flowering plant. A few drops of the essential oil, put on cotton wool and placed in the hollow of an aching tooth, frequently relieves the pain of toothache. This plant is one of the best natural antiseptics because of its high thymol content. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy to treat the same kinds of complaints that the herb is used for.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Aromatherapy: Plants whose essential oils are used in Aromatherapy.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Cholagogue: Increases the flow of bile and its discharge from the body.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.
Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 5
An essential oil from the plant is used as a food flavouring, in soaps and perfumery. The herb contains 0.15 - 0.4% essential oil and makes good herbal pillows and baths. The plant was formerly used as a strewing herb. The essential oil has also been used to kill lice, though some caution is advised since it can cause skin irritations. A red or purple dye is obtained from the flowering tops, it is neither brilliant nor durable. The plant repels ants. The growing plant repels many insect pests so it is a good plant to grow in the vegetable area. A useful ground cover for sunny positions, forming a slowly spreading clump. Plants should be spaced about 30cm apart each way.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.
Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.
Strewing: Plants, usually aromatic, that are strewn on the floor to give a nice smell, repel insects etc.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Seashore. Requires a rather dry, warm, well-drained soil in full sun, but is not fussy as to soil type, thriving on chalk. Prefers slightly alkaline conditions. Tolerates poor soils. Dislikes wet soils. Hardy to about -20°c. Oregano has a long history of culinary and medicinal use and is often cultivated in modern gardens as a culinary herb, there are some named varieties. Plants growing near the sea have the most fragrance. A good companion plant, improving the flavour of nearby plants. The flowers are very attractive to bees and butterflies. A good companion for the cucumber family, it is beneficial to all nearby plants. The whole plant has a sweet yet slightly peppery aroma. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Fragrant foliage, Not North American native, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Suitable for dried flowers, Fragrant flowers. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length .
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring at 10 - 13°c and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring. Division in March or October. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Basal cuttings of young barren shoots in June. Very easy. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Best place to grow: Ground Cover; Meadow; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-10
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist