Origanum

Origanum is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, 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
Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietsw. - Turkey, Iraq
Origanum × adanense Baser & H.Duman - Turkey (O. bargyli × O. laevigatum)
Origanum × adonidis Mouterde - Lebanon (O. libanoticum × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
Origanum akhdarense Ietsw. & Boulos - Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
Origanum amanum Post - Hatay region of Turkey
Origanum × barbarae Bornm. - Lebanon (O. ehrenbergii × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
Origanum bargyli Mouterde - Turkey, Syria
Origanum bilgeri P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey
Origanum boissieri Ietsw. - Turkey
Origanum calcaratum Juss. - Greece
Origanum compactum Benth. - Spain, Morocco
Origanum cordifolium (Montbret & Aucher ex Benth.) Vogel - Cyprus
Origanum cyrenaicum Bég. & Vacc. - Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
Origanum dayi Post - Israel
Origanum dictamnus L. – hop marjoram, Cretan dittany, dittany of Crete - endemic to Crete
Origanum × dolichosiphon P.H.Davis - Seyhan region of Turkey (O. amanum × O. laevigatum)
Origanum ehrenbergii Boiss. - Lebanon
Origanum elongatum (Bonnet) Emb. & Maire - Morocco
Origanum floribundum Munby - Algeria
Origanum × haradjanii Rech.f - Turkey (O. laevigatum × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
Origanum haussknechtii Boiss. - Turkey
Origanum husnucan-baseri H.Duman, Aytac & A.Duran - Turkey
Origanum hypericifolium O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis - Turkey
Origanum × intercedens Rech.f. - Greece, Turkey (O. onites × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
Origanum × intermedium P.H.Davis - Denizli region of Turkey (O. onites × O. sipyleum)
Origanum isthmicum Danin - Sinai
Origanum jordanicum Danin & Kunne - Jordan
Origanum laevigatum Boiss. - Turkey, Syria, Cyprus
Origanum leptocladum Boiss. - Turkey
Origanum libanoticum Boiss. - Lebanon
Origanum majorana L. – (sweet) marjoram - Turkey, Cyprus; naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, North Africa, North + South America
Origanum × lirium Heldr. ex Halácsy - Greece (O. scabrum × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
Origanum × majoricum Cambess. – hardy sweet marjoram - Spain including Balearic Islands (O. majorana × O. vulgare subsp. virens)
Origanum microphyllum (Benth.) Vogel - Crete
Origanum × minoanum P.H.Davis - Crete (O. microphyllum × O. vulgare subsp. hirtum)
Origanum minutiflorum O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis - Turkey
Origanum munzurense Kit Tan & Sorger - Turkey
Origanum × nebrodense Tineo ex Lojac - Sicily (O. majorana × O. vulgare subsp. viridulum)
Origanum onites L. - Greece, Turkey, Sicily
Origanum × pabotii Mouterde - Syria (O. bargyli × O. syriacum subsp. bevanii)
Origanum pampaninii (Brullo & Furnari) Ietsw - Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya
Origanum petraeum Danin - Jordan
Origanum punonense Danin - Jordan
Origanum ramonense Danin - Levant
Origanum rotundifolium Boiss. - Turkey, Caucasus
Origanum saccatum P.H.Davis - Turkey
Origanum scabrum Boiss. & Heldr. in P.E.Boissier - Greece
Origanum sipyleum L. -Turkey, Greek Islands
Origanum solymicum P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey
Origanum symes Carlström - Islands of the Aegean Sea
Origanum syriacum L. - Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Saudi Arabia
Origanum vetteri Briq. & Barbey - Crete
Origanum vogelii Greuter & Burdet - Turkey
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.)
References
External links
Herb Society of America Fact Sheet: Oregano and Marjoram (pdf)
Origanum dictamnus
Lamiaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus