O R I 
they cannot be placed all in the fame bed ; for feme 
are only found upon chalky hills, others in moift mea- 
dows, and fo me in fhady woods, or under trees ; but 
if their foil and fituation be adapted to their various 
forts, they will thrive and continue feveral years, 
and, during their feafon of flowering, will afford as 
great varieties as any flowers which are at prefen t 
- cultivated. 
The other forts not here enumerated, may be found 
under the following articles, Ophrys, Satyrium, 
Serapias. 
OREOSELINUM. See Athamanta. 
ORIGANU M. Lin. Gen. Plant. 645. Tourn. Inft. 
R. H. 198. tab. 94. [of 'oflyxvov, of og&>, a moun- 
tain, and yixwy.a.ii to rejoice, q. d. a plant that de- 
lights to grow upon mountains.] Origany or Pot 
Marjoram ; in French, Origan . 
The Characters are, 
The flower is of the lip kind , having a cylindrical com- 
prejfed tube \ the upper lip is plain , erect, ohtufe , and in- 
dented ; the under lip is trifid , the fegments being nearly 
equal. Thefe are difpofed in /pikes compofed of oval co- 
loured leaves , placed over each other like the feales of fijh. 
The flowers have four fender J lamina , two being as long 
as the petal , the ether two are longer , terminated by fim- 
ple fummits •, they have a four-cornered germen, fupport- 
ing a fender fly le inclining to the upper lip , crowned by a 
bifid JUgma. The germen afterward turns to four feeds 
Put up in the empaUment of the flower. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s fourteenth clafs, which includes the plants 
whofe flowers have two long and two fhorter ftamina, 
and are fucceeded by naked feeds. To this genus he 
has added the Majorana of Tournefort, and the Dic- 
tarnnus of Boerhaave. The firft has its flowers dif- 
pofed in four-cornered fcaly heads, the other has 
the flowers difpofed in loofe lcaly heads, coming out 
from between the leaves. 
The Species are, 
1. Origanum (Vulgar e) fpicis fubrotundis paniculatis 
conglomeratis, bradeis calyce longioribus ovatis. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 590. Pot Marjoram with roundip panicu- 
lated / pikes gathered in cluflers , and oval hr able a; which 
are longer than the empalement. Origanum vulgare 
fpontaneum. I. B. 2. 2 36. Common Wild Origany. 
2. Origanum ( Heracleoticum ) fpicis longis pedunculis 
aggregatis, bradeis longitudine calycum. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 589. Origany with long / pikes growing in bunches , 
and bradlea as long as the empalement. Origanum he- 
racleoticum, culina Gallinacea Plinii. C B. P. 223. 
Winter Sweet Marjoram. 
3. Origanum ( Latifolium ) fpicis oblongis paniculatis 
conglomeratic, foliis ovatis glabris. Origany with ob- 
long fpikes of flowers growing in clufiered panicles , and 
oval frnooth leaves. Origanum humilius latifolium 
o-Iabrum. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 199. Low, broad-leaved, 
in? ^ y 
frnooth Origany. 
4/ Origanum ( Humile ) caule repente, fpicis oblongis 
conglomeratis, bradeis florum longioribus. Origany 
with a creeping flalk , and oblong fpikes of flowers growing 
, in cluflers, with brattea longer than the flower. Origa- 
num fylveftre, humile. C. B. P. 223. Prod. 109. 
Low wild Origany. 
r. Origanum ( Orient ale ) caule credo ramofo, foliis 
ovatis rugofis, fpicis fubrotundis conglomeratis, brac- 
teis calycum brevioribus. Origany with an erect branch- 
ing flalk, oval rough leaves , roundip fpikes of flowers 
growing in cluflers, with hr able a fhorter than the em- 
palement. Origanum Orientale prunellas folio glauco, 
liore purpureo. Boerh. Ind. alt. 1. 179. Eaftern Ori- 
gany with a gray Self-heal leaf and a purple flower . 
6. Origanum ( Creticum ) fpicis aggregatis longis prif- 
maticis redis, bradeis membranaceis, calyce duplo 
longioribus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 589. Origany with long, 
upright, prifmatical fpikes growing in cluflers , and mem- 
braneous braMere twice the length of the empalement. 
Origanum Creticum. C. B. P. 223. Origany of Crete. 
7, Origanum ( Majorana ) foliis ovalibus obtufis, fpicis 
fubrotundis compadis pubefeentibus. Hort. Cliff. 304. 
O R I 
Origany with oval ohtufe leaves , and roundip , ccmpabd , 
hairy Jpikes. Majorana vulgaris. C. B. P. 224. Com- 
mon, or Sweet Marjoram. 
8. Origanum ( JEgyptiacum ) foliis carnofis tomentofis, 
fpicis nudis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 822. Origany with fiefly 
woolly leaves. Majorana rotund ifolia, Icutellata, ex- 
otica. H. R. Par. Round-leaved foreign Marjoram with 
a fpoon-paped leaf. 
9. Origanum ( Smyrbmm ) foliis ovatis acute ferratis, 
fpicis congeftis umbeliarim faftigiaris. Plort. Cliff* 
304,. Origany with oval leaves acutely jawed , and fpikes 
of flowers difpofed in umbellated bunches. Origanum 
Smyrnaeum. Wheel. Raii flift. 450- Origany of Smyrna. 
10. Origanum ( Didtamnus ) foliis omnibus tomentofis, 
fpicis nutantibus. Origany with all the leaves woolly , 
and nodding fpikes of flowers. Didamnus Creticiis. 
C. B. P. 222. The Dittany of Crete. 
11. Origanum (Sipyleum) foliis omnibus glabris, fpicis 
nutantibus. Hort. Cliff. 304. Origany with all the leaves 
frnooth, and nodding fpikes of flowers. Didamnus men- 
tis Sipyli origani foliis. Flor. Bat. 2. 72. Dittany of 
Mount Sipylus with an Origany leaf. 
12. Origanum ( Hybridinum ) foliis inferioribus tomen- 
tofis, fpicis nutantibus. Hort. Cliff 304. Origany with 
the under leaves hoary , and nodding fpikes of flowers . 
Origanum Didamni Cretici facie, ° folio craffo, nunc 
villofo, nunc glabro. Tourn. Cor. 13. Origany with 
the appearance of Dittany of Crete , and thick leaves fome- 
times hairy , at others frnooth. 
13. Origanum ( Onites ) fpicis oblongis aggregatis hir- 
futis, foliis cordatis tomentofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 590. 
Origany with oblong hairy fpikes growing in bunches , and 
heart-paped woolly leaves. Origanum lignofum Syra- 
cufanum perenne, umbella ampliffima brevi, lato & 
nervofo folio. Bocc. Muf, 2. p. 43. tab. 38. Ligneous 
perennial Origany of Syracup, with a floor t ample umbel, 
and a broad-veined leaf. 
The firft fort gre as naturally in thickets, and among 
bullies in feveral parts of England ; the root is peren- 
nial, compofed of many fmall ligneous fibres. The 
ftalks are fquare, and rife near two feet high j they 
are ligneous, and garnifhed with oval leaves placed 
by pairs, and from the wings of/ thefe come out 
three or four fmaller leaves on each fide, which re- 
femble thofe of Marjoram, fitting clofe to the Italic ; 
they have an aromatic feent : the flowers are produced 
in roundilh fpikes growing in panicles at the top of 
the ftalks, many of the fpikes being gathered toge- 
ther ; the flowers are of a flefli colour, and peep out of 
their fcaly covering. Their upper lip is cut into two. 
Handing ered, and the lower lip or beard is divided 
into three parts, and hangs downward the ftamina ftand, 
out a little beyond the petals, and are of a purplilh 
colour. It flowers in June and July, and the feeds 
ripen in the autumn. This fort is fometimes culti- 
vated in gardens, and is by fo.me called Pot Marjoram j 
it is generally ufed in foups. 
It will rife plentifully from fcattered feeds, or it may 
be propagated by parting the roots •, the beft time for 
doing this is in autumn, and the roots may be planted 
in any foil not over moift, and will thrive in any fitu- 
ation, fo requires no other care but to keep them clear 
from weeds. There is a variety of this with white 
flowers and light green ftalks, and another with vari- 
egated leaves. 
The fecond fort is now commonly known by the title 
of Winter Sweet Marjoram, though it was formerly 
ftiled Pot Marjoram. This hath a perennial root, 
from which arife many branching four-cornered ftalks 
a foot and a half high, which are hairy, and inclining 
to a purplilh colour, garnilhed with oval, obtufe, hairy 
leaves, refembling greatly thofe of Sweet Maijoram, 
Handing by pairs on ftiort foot-ftalks j the flowers 
are difpofed in fpikes about two inches long, feve- 
ral arifing together from the divifions of the ftalk. 
The flowers are fmall, white, and peep out of their 
fcaly covers , thefe appear in July, and the feeds ri- 
pen in autumn. It grows naturally in Greece and the 
warm parts of Europe, but is hardy enough to thrive in 
