LABIAT.E. XL. ORIGANUM. 



765 



the longest. Style almost equally bifid at top : stigmas minute. 

 Achenia dry, smoothish. Herbs. Leaves quite entire, or a 

 little toothed. Flowers collected into cylindrical or oblong 

 spikelets. Bracteas imbricate, coloured, covering the calyxes, 

 but more loose than in the genus Marjorana. 



1 O. SIPY V LEUM (Lin. spec. 833.) stems decumbent, panicu- 

 lately-branched at top ; leaves on short petioles, quite entire : 

 lower ones roundish, hispid, or woolly : upper ones ovate, quite 

 glabrous, glaucous ; spikelets oblong, solitary, or by threes, nu- 

 tant ; bracteas loose, ovate, coloured ; calyx quite glabrous, 

 having the three superior teeth longer, ^ . F. Native of the 

 Levant and Greece ; on Mount Sipylos in Phrygia ; and between 

 Smyrna and Bursa, Sibthorp. Near Aleppo, Russell. On Mount 

 Delphus, Sibthorp. O. hybridum, Mill. diet. no. 1 2. O. Sipy- 

 leum, Sibth. et Smith, fl. graec. 6. p. 57. t. 570. Origanum, 

 montis sipyli, Herm. lugdb. 462. t. 463. Origanum Sipyleus, 

 rnarjoranse foliis, Mor. hist. 3. p. 357. sect. 11. t. 4. f. 2. Pro- 

 cumbent at the base. Sterile branches short, very villous. 

 Leaves thick, woolly on both surfaces. Floriferous stems gla- 

 brous, with a few remote leaves. Tube of corolla equalling the 

 calyx. Corolla pale purple. ? 



Sipylos Marjoram. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1699. Shrub 1 to 

 1| foot. 



2 O. COMPA'CTCM (Benth. bb. p. 334.) humble, almost simple; 

 leaves nearly sessile, ovate, obtuse, scarcely serrated ; spikes 

 densely capitate, cylindrical : bracteas elongated, lanceolate, 

 acute, coloured, twice as long as the calyx. I? . F. Native near 

 Tangiers, Salzmann. O. glandulosum, Salzm. pi. exsic. but not 

 of Desf. Stems rising from a suffruticose base, simple. Leaves 

 smaller and stiffer than in O. culgare, but the bracteas are a 

 little larger, and all acute. Teeth of calyx bearded inside : the 

 3 upper ones rather the longest. Corolla pale purple. ? 



Comjxict Marjoram. PI. i to f foot. 



3 O. VCLGA'RE (Lin. spec. 824.) erect, villous ; leaves petio- 

 late, ovate, obtuse, serrated a little, rounded at the base, green 

 on both surfaces ; spikelets oblong or cylindrical, glomerate, 

 corymbosely-panicled ; bracteas ovate, obtuse, coloured, from 

 half as long again as the calyx to twice as long. If. . H. Native 

 of Europe, North of Africa, and Middle Asia, by way-sides, 

 in hedges, and in woods ; plentiful in some parts of Britain ; Cau- 

 casus, Siberia, Cashmere ; also from Pennsylvania to Carolina, but 

 probably escaped from gardens. Curt. lond. 3. with a figure, 

 Woodv. med. bot. 451. t. 164. Oed. fl. dan. t. 638. Sab. 

 hort. rom. 3. t. 75. Smith, engl. bot. 1143. O. stoloniferum, 

 Bess. O. orientale, Mill. diet. no. 5. O. decipiens, Wallr. 

 Blackw. t.280. Riv. mon. 60. f. 1. Habit very variable. Stems 

 numerous, erect, more or less hairy, often reddish. Leaves 

 more or less villous, rarely almost glabrous. Bracteas usually 

 glabrous and reddish. Corolla exserted, usually purple, rarely 

 white, with green bracteas. The wild marjoram is an aromatic 

 and ornamental plant. The dried leaves, used instead of tea, are 

 extremely grateful ; they are also used in fomentations ; the 



ntial oil is so acrid that it may be considered as a caustic, 

 and was formerly used with that intention by farriers. A little 

 cotton moistened with it and put into the hollow of an aching 

 tooth, frequently relieves the pain. The tops will dye linen of a 

 reddish brown. This species is only used in cookery in default 

 of one of the other marjorams. 



Var, 13, prismMcum (Gaud, ex Benth. lab. p. 335.) fructife- 

 rous spikes elongated, prismatic. Tf.. H. Native of the region 

 of the Mediterranean. O. heracleoticum, Rchb. fl. germ. exc. 

 313, but not of Lin. O. Creticum, Lin. spec. 823. O. raacro- 

 stachyum, Link, handb. 468. O. megastachyum, Link. enum. 2. 

 p. 114.? O. latifolium, Mill. diet. no. 3. This hardly differs 

 from the species, except in the spikelets being elongated, and the 

 flowers generally white ; but they are also purple. 



Var. y. ftHmile (Mart. Mill. diet. no. 8. Benth. lab. p. 335.) 

 hardly half a foot high, nearly glabrous ; leaves narrower, spike- 

 lets small, numerous, corymbose. Ij . H. Native of Asia, in 

 shady places. O. humile, Mill. diet. no. 4. Poir. suppl. 4. p. 

 186. Corollas purple. 



Var, I, rlrens (Benth. lab. p. 335.) bracteas hardly coloured, 

 usually pubescent. I/ . H. Native of Portugal and Cashmere. 

 O. virens, Hofrm. et Link, fl. port. 1. p. 119. t. 9. O. oblong- 

 atum, Link, enum. 2. p. 114. O. thyrniflorum, Rchb. fl. germ, 

 exc. p. 313. 



Common or Wild Marjoram. FL June, Oct. Britain. PI. 

 1 to 2 feet. 



4 O. XORMA'LE (D. Don. prod. fl. nep. p. 113.) ascending, 

 villous ; leaves petiolate, ovate, bluntish, cuneately-rounded at 

 the base, green on both surfaces ; spikelets small, oblong, glo- 

 merate, corymbosely-panicled ; bracteas lanceolate, acute, ex- 

 ceeding the calyxes a little. It. H. Native of the Himalaya, 

 Cashmere, Nipaul, Kamaon, and Sirmore, Wall ; and Siberia, at 

 Lake Baical. Stems paniculately branched at top. Bracteas 

 spreading, a little green, pubescent. Calyx of O. vtdgare, but 

 the corolla is smaller, and probably purple. Stamens probably 

 always inclosed. 



Normal Marjoram. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1819. PI. 1 to 2 

 feet. 



5 O. HERACLEOTICCM (Lin. spec. p. 823.) plant erectish, gla- 

 brous or villous, glandular ; leaves on short petioles, ovate, ob- 

 tuse, quite entire, rounded at the base ; panicle elongated ; spike- 

 lets oblong or elongated, glomerate ; bracteas ovate, acute, green, 

 pubescent, equalling the calyxes. Tf.. H. Native of the region 

 of the Mediterranean ; as on Mount Atlas, near Mascar ; Cala- 

 bria ; some of the Grecian Islands ; and about Smyrna and 

 Constantinople ; also about Odessa. O. glandulosum, Desf. fl. 

 atl. 2. p. 27. O. Smvrnae'um, Sibth. et Smith, fl. graec. 6. p. 

 57. t. 571, but not of Lin. O. Creticum, Sieb. pi. exsic. and 

 of other authors, but not of Lin. Lob. icon. 492. A very vari- 

 able species, dissimilar in habit to die others, but readily recog- 

 nized by the bracteas being longer than the calyxes; by the 

 loose spikes and small flowers. Stamens more or less villous. 

 Leaves pale green, glabrous or pubescent. Flowers one half 

 smaller than those of 0. culgare, white. Bracteas often decidu- 

 ous, usually pubescent. This, the winter sweet marjoram, re- 

 quires a sheltered, dry soil, and seldom ripens seed in this 

 country, and is usually propagated by slips or cuttings. Like 

 other marjorams it is an aromatic, of sweet Savour, much used 

 as relishing herbs in soups and broths, stuffings, &c. The 

 young, tender tops and leaves together are used in summer in a 

 green state, and they are dried for winter. 



Var. /3, humile (Benth. lab. p. 336.) If.. H. O. parviflorum, 

 D'Urv. enum. pi. arch, in mem. soc. Lin. par. p. 327. 



Heraclean, or Winter Sweet Marjoram, or Bastard Marjoram. 

 Fl. June, Nov. Clt. 1640. PI. 1 foot. 



6 O. LAXiFLoaujt (Royle, in Hook. bot. misc. 3. p. 376.) stem 

 procumbent, villous ; leaves on short petioles, broad-ovate, ob- 

 tuse, almost entire, rounded at the base, green on both surfaces, 

 pubescent ; bracteas acute, rather longer dian die calyxes, green, 

 and are, as well as die flowers, disposed in very loose spikes. 

 I/. H. Native of die Himalaya at Nagkanda, Royle. Leaves 

 like those of O. vulgare, but differs otherwise from it in the 

 stems being procumbent ; and especially in die spikes being 

 loose, not imbricated. 



Loose-Jloipered Marjoram. PI. procumbent. 



7 O. MAJORICUH (Cambess. enum. pi. balear. p. 124.) stem 

 loosely tomentose ; leaves elliptic, pubescent ; flowers fascicu- 

 late ; calyx and corolla bilabiate. If.. H. Native of the Bal- 

 earic Islands, in arid places. Spikes very short, globose. Ca- 

 lyx glandular : upper lip deeply tridentate : lower lip shorter, 



