Origanum Vulgare. Wild Marjoram. 



ORIGANUM. Lin. Gen. PI. Did yn ami a Gymnospermia. 



Strobilus tetragonus, fpicatus, calyces colligens. fig. 6. 



Rail Synop. Gen. 14. Suffrutices et Herb,e verticillat^e. 



ORIGANUM vulgare fpicis fubrotundis paniculatis conglomeratis, bracleis calyce longioribus 

 ovatis. Lin. Syft. Vegetab. p. 452. Spec. PL p. 824. Fl. Suec. n. 534. 



ORIGANUM foliis ovatis, umbellis coloratis, ftaminibus exfertis. Halle?' hiji. n. 233. 



ORIGANUM vulgare. Scopoli Fl. Cam. n, 740. 



ORIGANUM fylveftre. BauL pin. 223. 



ORIGANUM anglicum. Ger. emac. 666. 



MAJORANA fylveffris. Park. 12. 



ORIGANUM vulgare fpontaneum. Bauh. hijl. III. 236. 



Rati Syn. 236. Wild Marjoram. Hudfon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 262. Lightfoot Fl. 

 Scot. p. 317. 



RADIX perennis, repens, horizontalis, fufca, pluri- | ROOT perennial, creeping, horizontal, brown, 

 mis fibris capillata. | tufted with numerous fibres. 



CAULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, ereftus, tetra- Q STALK, a foot or a foot and a half high, upright, 

 gonus, purpurafcens, pubefcens, ramofus. | four cornered, purpiiih, downy, and 



\ branched. 



RAMI oppofiti, erecti, caule teneriores, in caeteris | BRANCHES oppofite, upright, more tender than 

 conformes. the (talk, in other refpecls fimilar. 



FOLIA ad genicula, oppofita, petiolata, ovata, acuta, | LEAVES placed at the joints, oppofite, (landing 

 minutim et rariter dentata, fupra glabriuf- <> on foot-ftalks, ovate, pointed, finely and 



cula, fubtus pubefcentia, utrinque punctata, | rarely toothed, above nearly fmooth, be- 



margine minutim ciliata, patentia. $ neath downy, dotted on both fides, the 



I edge finely fringed, fpreading. 



PETIOLI pubefcentes. | LEAF-STALKS downy. 



AXILLyE foliorum in planta culta foliolis onuftae. | ALy£ of the leaves, in the cultivated plant, bearing 



I numerous fmall leaves. 



FLORES paniculati, panicula e fpicis plurimis, fub- Q FLOWERS forming zpanicle, compofed of numerous, 

 rotundis, conglomeratis compofita. % roundifh fpikes, growing in cluflers. 



BRACTEvE, ovato-lanceolatae, feffiles, concave, in- <> FLORAL-LEAVES ovato-lanceolate, feffile, con- 

 tegras, corolla intenfius coloratae, ad lentem t cave, entire, more deeply coloured than the 



pubefcentes, floribus fubject.se fingulae, Jig. 1. <> corolla, appearing downy when magnified, 



^ placed one under each flower, Jig. 1. 



CALYX: Perianthium monophylium, tubulatum, <> CALYX ; A Perianthium of one leaf, tubular, 

 flriatum, fubpubefcens, pedicellatum, longitu- J ftriated, (lightly downy, (landing on a (hort 



dine fere bracleae, ore barbato, quinquefido, <J. foot-ftalk, and almoft the length of the fioral- 



laciniis acutis, erectis, aequalibus, purpureis, £ leaf, the mouth bearded, divided into five, 



fig. 2. I pointed, upright, equal, purple fegments, 



$ fig. 2. 



COROLLA infundibuliformis, purpurea, tubus vil- | COROLLA funnel-fhaped, purple, the tube villous, 



'iofus, fenfim furfus ampliatus, calyce longior, $ gradually enlarged upwards, longer than 



limbus bilabiatus, labium juperius ereetum, | the calyx, the limb compofed of two lips, 



bifidum, obtufum, inferius trifidum, patens, § the upper lip upright, bifid and obtufe, the 



obtufum, fig. 3. I lower lip trifid, fpreading and obtufe, Jig. 3. 



STAMINA: Filament a quatuor, purpurea, corol- | STAMINA: four purple Filaments, a little longer 

 la paulo longiora, duobus inferioribus paulo | than the corolla, the two lowermoft fome- 



longioribus; Anther/e didymae, faturatius | what the longer! ; Anther/e double, and 



coloratae, fig. 4. \ more deeply coloured, jig. 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germen quadripartitum; Stylus | PISTILLUM : Germen divided into four parts, 

 filiformis, corolla longior ; Stigma bifidum, § Style filiform, longer than the corolla; 



acutum, revolutum, jig. 5. | Stigma bifid, pointed, and turned back, 



<> Jig. 5. 



SEMINA quatuor, ovata, in finu calycis conni- | SEEDS four, ovate, in the bottom of the calyx, 

 ventis. , • $ which clofes over them. 



This aromatic and ornamental plant, grows wild on dry chalky hills, and gravelly ground, in molt parts 

 of Great Britain, though fparingly in the vicinity of London. 



It flowers in July and Auguft. 



The leaves and flowery tops of Origanum have an agreeable aromatic fmell, and a pungent tafte, warmer 

 than that of the Garden Marjoram, and much refembling Thyme; with which they appear to agree in medi- 

 cinal virtue. Infufions of them are fometimes drank as tea, in weaknefs of the (lomach, diforders of the breaft, 

 for promoting perfpiration, and the fluid fecretions in general; they are fometimes ufed alfo in nervine and 

 antirheumatic baths ; and the powder of the dried herb as an errhine. Diftilled with water, they yield a moderate 

 quantity of a very acrid and penetrating eflential oil, fmelling ftrongly of the Origanum, but lefs agreeable 

 than the herb itfelf : this oil is applied on a little cotton for eafing the pains of carious teeth ; and fometimes 

 diluted and rubbed on the noftnls, or fnuffed up the nole, for attenuating and evacuating mucous 

 humours. Lewis M. Med. p. 469. . 



It dyes linen cloth of a reddifb brown colour; for this purpofe the linen is flrft macerated in alum water anu 

 dried; it is then foaked for two days in a decoaion of the bark of the crab-tree; it is wrung out of this, boiled 

 ' in a ley of afiies, and then fuffered to boil in the decoftion. Holler hijl. Helv. p. 102. 



According to Llnn^us, it dyes woollen cloth alfo of a purple colour ; is fometimes ufed as a fuccedaneum 

 for tea, and added to beer to make it more quickly intoxicate, as likewife to prevent it from too quickly 

 turning four. 



