Origanum



Origanum is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. They are native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in scattered locations in North America and other regions.

The plants have strongly aromatic leaves and abundant tubular flowers with long-lasting coloured bracts. The genus includes the important group of culinary herbs: marjoram (Origanum majorana) and oregano (Origanum vulgare).

With their decorative bracts, Origanum species and cultivars are used as ornamental plants in the garden. The cultivars 'Kent Beauty' and 'Rosenkuppel' have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Origanum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including Coleophora albitarsella.

Species
 * 1) Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietsw. – Turkey, Iraq
 * 2) Origanum × adanense Baser & H.Duman – Turkey   (O. bargyli × O. laevigatum)
 * 3) Origanum × adonidis Mouterde – Lebanon    (O. libanoticum × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
 * 4) Origanum akhdarense Ietsw. & Boulos – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
 * 5) Origanum amanum Post – Hatay region of Turkey
 * 6) Origanum × barbarae Bornm. – Lebanon    (O. ehrenbergii × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
 * 7) Origanum bargyli Mouterde – Turkey, Syria
 * 8) Origanum bilgeri P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey
 * 9) Origanum boissieri Ietsw. – Turkey
 * 10) Origanum calcaratum Juss. – Greece
 * 11) Origanum compactum  Benth. - Spain, Morocco
 * 12) Origanum cordifolium (Montbret & Aucher ex Benth.) Vogel – Cyprus
 * 13) Origanum cyrenaicum Bég. & Vacc. – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
 * 14) Origanum dayi Post – Israel
 * 15) Origanum dictamnus L. – hop marjoram, Cretan dittany, dittany of Crete – endemic to Crete
 * 16) Origanum × dolichosiphon P.H.Davis – Seyhan region of Turkey    (O. amanum × O. laevigatum)
 * 17) Origanum ehrenbergii Boiss. – Lebanon
 * 18) Origanum elongatum (Bonnet) Emb. & Maire – Morocco
 * 19) Origanum floribundum Munby – Algeria
 * 20) Origanum × haradjanii Rech.f – Turkey    (O. laevigatum × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
 * 21) Origanum haussknechtii Boiss. – Turkey
 * 22) Origanum husnucan-baseri H.Duman, Aytac & A.Duran – Turkey
 * 23) Origanum hypericifolium O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis – Turkey
 * 24) Origanum × intercedens Rech.f. – Greece, Turkey    (O. onites × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
 * 25) Origanum × intermedium P.H.Davis – Denizli region of Turkey    (O. onites × O. sipyleum)
 * 26) Origanum isthmicum Danin – Sinai
 * 27) Origanum jordanicum Danin & Kunne – Jordan
 * 28) Origanum laevigatum Boiss. – Turkey, Syria, Cyprus
 * 29) Origanum leptocladum Boiss. - Turkey
 * 30) Origanum libanoticum Boiss. – Lebanon
 * 31) Origanum majorana L. – (sweet) marjoram – Turkey, Cyprus; naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, North Africa, North + South America
 * 32) Origanum × lirium Heldr. ex Halácsy – Greece   (O. scabrum × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
 * 33) Origanum × majoricum Cambess. – hardy sweet marjoram – Spain including Balearic Islands  (O. majorana × O. vulgare subsp. virens)
 * 34) Origanum microphyllum (Benth.) Vogel – Crete
 * 35) Origanum × minoanum P.H.Davis - Crete   (O. microphyllum × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
 * 36) Origanum minutiflorum O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis – Turkey
 * 37) Origanum munzurense Kit Tan & Sorger – Turkey
 * 38) Origanum × nebrodense Tineo ex Lojac – Sicily   (O. majorana × O. vulgare subsp. viridulum)
 * 39) Origanum onites L. – Greece, Turkey, Sicily
 * 40) Origanum × pabotii Mouterde – Syria   (O. bargyli × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
 * 41) Origanum pampaninii (Brullo & Furnari) Ietsw – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
 * 42) Origanum petraeum Danin – Jordan
 * 43) Origanum punonense Danin – Jordan
 * 44) Origanum ramonense Danin – Levant
 * 45) Origanum rotundifolium Boiss. – Turkey, Caucasus
 * 46) Origanum saccatum P.H.Davis – Turkey
 * 47) Origanum scabrum Boiss. & Heldr. in P.E.Boissier – Greece
 * 48) Origanum sipyleum L. -Turkey, Greek Islands
 * 49) Origanum solymicum P.H.Davis – Antalya region of Turkey
 * 50) Origanum symes Carlström – Islands of the Aegean Sea
 * 51) Origanum syriacum L. – Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Saudi Arabia
 * 52) Origanum vetteri Briq. & Barbey – Crete
 * 53) Origanum vogelii Greuter & Burdet – Turkey
 * 54) Origanum vulgare  L. – oregano – Europe, North Africa, temperate Asia (Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, etc.); naturalized in parts of North America, New Zealand, Venezuela

Formerly placed here

 * Pogostemon benghalensis (Burm.f.) Kuntze (as O. benghalense Burm.f. )