Oregano - Origanum vulgare

Scientific classification

Kingdom    : Plantae

(unranked) : Angiosperms

(unranked) : Eudicots

(unranked) : Asterids

Order         : Lamiales

Family        :Lamiaceae

Genus         :Origanum

Species       :O.vulgare

Binomial name:

Origanum vulgare

Oregano is is a genus of the mint family and grows in temperate western and southwestern regions of Eurasia and the Mediterranean regions. 
It is a perennial herb that grows from 20 - 80 cm tall. It has purple to pinkish flowers and sometimes called wild marjoram.

Notable subspecies are:

▪   Origanum vulgare gracile (O. tyttanthum) is originally from Krygyzystan and has glossy green leaves and pink flowers. It grows well in pots or containers, and is more often grown for added ornamental value than other oregano. The flavor is pungent and spicy.

▪   Origanum vulgare hirtum (Italian oregano, Greek oregano) is a common source of cultivars with a different aroma from those of O. v. gracile. Growth is vigorous and very hardy, with darker green, slightly hairy foliage. Generally, it is considered the best all-purpose culinary subspecies.

▪   Origanum vulgare onites (Cretan oregano, Turkish oregano, rigani, pot marjoram) is a tender perennial growing to 18 inches tall, with pale green to gray-green woolly rounded foliage. It has a strong, intensely spicy flavor.

▪   Origanum vulgare syriacum^[, Syrian oregano, Lebanese oregano, za'atar) has larger leaves that vary in colors ranging from pale green to grayish. Their taste is pungent and similar to Greek oregano.

Example cultivars are:

▪   Aureum – Golden foliage (greener if grown in shade), mild taste

▪   Greek Kaliteri – O. v. hirtum strains/landraces, small, hardy, dark, compact, thick, silvery-haired leaves, usually with purple undersides, excellent reputation for flavor and pungency, as well as medicinal uses, strong, archetypal oregano flavor (Greek kaliteri: the best).

▪   Hot & Spicy – O. v. hirtum strain

Nana – dwarf cultivar

Other plants called "oregano"

Plectranthus amboinicus

▪   Cuban oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus, formerly Coleus aromaticus), also of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Sometimes also called "Mexican mint or Mexican thyme", it has large and somewhat succlent leaves.

▪  Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is not of the mint, but of the closely related vervain family (Verbenaceae), including, e.g., the lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora). It is a highly studied herb that is said to be of some medical use and is common in curandera (female shamanic practices) in Mexico and the SW United States. The flavor of Mexican oregano is somewhat more like savory, instead of the piney hint of rosemary flavor in oregano. It is becoming more commonly sold outside of Mexico, especially in the United States. It is sometimes used as a substitute for epazote leaves; this substitution would not work the other way round.

▪   Poliomintha longiflora is also occasionally called orégano in Latin America.