The Story of Oregano

Oregano is Origanum vulgare. Mexican oregano is Lippia graveolens, a different species. Sweet marjoram is Origanum majorana.

How it was found

Kew maps Origanum vulgare from Macaronesia to China. The native list is broad: Macaronesia, North Africa, most of Europe including Svalbard, Caucasus, Siberia, Middle Asia, China, Taiwan, Himalaya, India, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, Cyprus, and more. Introduced into parts of North America (including California), Mexico Southwest, New Zealand South, Venezuela, and Primorye. USDA GRIN’s native table is similarly Eurasian–Macaronesian (Canaries and Madeira native; Azores uncertain).

Kew lists California among regions into which O. vulgare is introduced. UCCE Tuolumne: here in California, oregano is grown and used for flavorful herbs, ornamental landscaping and herbal remedies.

UC Sonoma writes that common O. vulgare grows wild in Mediterranean mountainous regions; Kew’s native list runs from Macaronesia to China. UCCE Tuolumne: oregano and marjoram are native to the Mediterranean region. UCCE Tuolumne writes that thousands of years ago, before the Mediterranean diet was labeled as such, oregano was a premier herb.

How people used it

Kew lists food (also invertebrate food). UC IPM: grown for aromatic leaves; can be used fresh or dried; Greek and Italian oregano are good culinary varieties. UC Sonoma: aromatic leaves used fresh or dried as seasoning; popular in Italian cuisine and pizza. UCCE Tuolumne: common oregano (O. vulgare) widely used for cooking; dried oregano is part of Italian, Mexican, Argentine, Turkish, Greek, Portuguese, and other Mediterranean cuisines; it may be used fresh or dried, with dried leaves having stronger flavor; used on meats, vegetables, fish, salads, and pizzas.

Kew also lists medicinal use.

Timeline

1. Thousands of years ago

   A premier herb before the diet had a name

   UCCE Tuolumne / Central Sierra Master Gardeners write that thousands of years ago, before the Mediterranean diet was labeled as such, oregano was a premier herb, and that oregano and marjoram are native to the Mediterranean region. That is UC’s span. Kew’s native map is wider than the Mediterranean.

   UCCE Tuolumne / Central Sierra — Oregano: By Reputation Only

2. Greek (etymology)

   Beauty of the mountain

   UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County write that the genus name Origanum probably comes from the Greek words oros (mountain) and gamos (beauty), “beauty of the mountain.”

   UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County — Grow herbs!

3. 1753

   Named in Species Plantarum

   Kew accepts Origanum vulgare L., first published in Sp. Pl.: 590 (1753). USDA GRIN: Sp. pl. 2:590. 1753. UCCE Tuolumne notes Linnaeus formalized the modern naming system — context for the 1753 name, not a crop-origin date.

   Kew POWO; USDA GRIN; UCCE Tuolumne

Cool to know

Growing notes for this plant live on the Plant Wiki.