page_title: Oregano
section_title: Taxonomy
hierarchical_section_title: Oregano / Taxonomy
caption_attribution_description: Eesti: Isane maakimalane (Bombus lucorum) hariliku pune õiel. Keila aruniit, Loode-Eesti. English: Male white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) on the oregano (Origanum vulgare). Keila, Northwestern Estonia.
context_page_description: Oregano is a flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to temperate Western and Southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.
  Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall, with opposite leaves 1–4 cm long. The flowers are purple, 3–4 mm long, produced in erect spikes. It is sometimes called wild marjoram, and its close relative, O. majorana, is known as sweet marjoram.
context_section_description: Many subspecies and strains of oregano have been developed by humans over centuries for their unique flavours or other characteristics. Tastes range from spicy or astringent to more complicated and sweet. Simple oregano sold in garden stores as Origanum vulgare may have a bland taste and larger, less-dense leaves, and is not considered the best for culinary use, with a taste less remarkable and pungent. It can pollinate other more sophisticated strains, but the offspring are rarely better in quality.
  The related species, Origanum onites (Greece, Turkey) and O. syriacum (West Asia), have similar flavours. A closely related plant is marjoram from Turkey, which differs significantly in taste though, because phenolic compounds are missing from its essential oil. Some varieties show a flavour intermediate between oregano and marjoram.
caption: Pollination with white-tailed bumblebee
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