View source for Oregano

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Lamiaceae
|genus=Origanum
|species=vulgare
|taxo_author=L.
|common_name=Oregano
|habit=herbaceous
|Min ht box=30
|Min ht metric=cm
|Max ht box=45
|Max ht metric=cm
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun
|water=moderate, dry
|features=evergreen, fragrance, edible, drought tolerant
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=5
|max_zone=10
|image=Origanum vulgare.JPG
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Oregano
}}
'''Oregano''' or '''Pot Marjoram''' (''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of ''[[Origanum]]'', native to [[Europe]], the [[Mediterranean region]] and southern and central [[Asia]]. It is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]], growing to 20-80 cm tall, with opposite [[leaf|leaves]] 1-4 cm long. The [[flower]]s are purple, 3-4 mm long, produced in erect spikes.  Its name derives from the Greek ''origanon''.

{{Inc|
Origanum vulgare. Linn. Rootstocks nearly horizontal: plant more or less hairy: Lvs. stalked, broadly ovate, sub- serrate or entire, broadly rounded at the base or sub- cordate: fls. purplish (varying to pink or nearly white), in corymbed clusters or short spikes; bracts purplish, about the length of the calyx; corolla longer than calyx; 2 or 4 of the stamens exserted.—Cult. in old gardens; also wild along eastern roadsides and in fields, naturalized from Eu. An erect herb, 1-2½ ft. high, aromatic. It runs into several forms, one of them being var. aureum, Hort., with golden or yellow foliage.
}} 

== Cultivation == 
The subspecies of oregano ''Origanum vulgare hirtum'' is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in [[Greek cuisine|Greek]] and [[Italian cuisine]]s. It is the [[leaves]] that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavourful than the fresh.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}

It has an [[aroma]]tic, warm and slightly [[Bitter (taste)|bitter]] taste. It varies in intensity; good quality is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue, but the cultivars adapted to colder climates have often unsatisfactory flavour. The influence of climate, season and soil on the composition of the essential oil is greater than the difference between the various species.

The related species ''Origanum onites'' ([[Greece]], [[Asia Minor]]) and ''O. heracleoticum'' ([[Italy]], [[Balkan peninsula]], [[West Asia]]) have similar flavours. A closely related plant is [[marjoram]] from Asia Minor, which, however, differs significantly in taste, because [[phenolic compounds]] are missing in its essential oil. Some breeds show a flavour intermediate between oregano and marjoram.

===Propagation===

===Pests and Diseases===

==Varieties==
There are a number of subspecies of oregano. For example, ''O. [[vulgare hirtum]]'' (Italian oregano), O''. vulgare gracile'', as well as cultivars, with each evincing distinct flavours.<ref>[http://www.organicgardening.com/featureprint/1,7759,s-5-71-1180,00.html Organic Gardening]</ref>

=== Other plants called oregano ===
'''Mexican oregano''', ''[[Lippia graveolens]]'' ([[Verbenaceae]]) is closely related to [[lemon verbena]].  It is a highly studied herb that is said to be of some medical use and is common in [[curandera]] female [[shaman]]ic practices in Mexico and the [[Southwestern United States]]. Mexican oregano has a very similar flavour to oregano, but is usually stronger.  It is becoming more commonly sold outside of Mexico, especially in the United States.  It is 
sometimes used as a substitute for [[epazote]] leaves; this substitution would not work the other way round. 	

Several other plants are also known as oregano in various  parts of Mexico, including ''[[Poliomintha longiflora]]'', ''[[Lippia berlandieri]]'', and ''[[Plectranthus amboinicus]]'' (syn. ''Coleus aromaticus''), also called Cuban oregano.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Origanum vulgare 1.jpg
Image:ChristianBauer flowering oregano.jpg
Image:Origanum-vulgare.JPG
Image:Origanum vulgare.jpg|'Nana' dwarf
Image:Lebiodka pospolita.oregano.12days.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare dry.jpg|Dried oregano in the wild
Image:Oregano.jpg
Image:Dobromysl obecná.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare1.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare2 ies.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare 05 ies.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare 06 ies.jpg
Image:Origanum vulgare 09 ies.jpg
Image:Oregano1.jpg
Image:Oregano2.jpg
File:Origanum vulgare 2.jpg
</gallery>

==References and external links==
*{{wplink}}

[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
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