{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Origanum-vulgare.JPG |image_caption = ''Origanum vulgare'' |taxon = Origanum |authority = L.<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?8562|title=Genus: ''Origanum'' L.|work=Germplasm Resources Information Network|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|date=2004-09-10|access-date=2012-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308193705/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?8562|archive-date=2012-03-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> |synonyms_ref = <ref name=m/> |synonyms = *''Amaracus'' <small>Gled.</small> *''Majorana'' <small>Mill.</small> *''×Origanomajorana'' <small>Domin</small> *''Dictamnus'' <small>Mill. 1754 not L. 1753 nor Zinn 1757</small> *''Dictamnus'' <small>Zinn 1757 not L. 1753 nor Mill. 1754</small> *''Marum'' <small>Mill.</small> *''Hofmannia'' <small>Heist. ex Fabr.</small> *''Beltokon'' <small>Raf.</small> *''Onites'' <small>Raf.</small> *''Oroga'' <small>Raf.</small> *''Zatarendia'' <small>Raf.</small> *''Schizocalyx'' <small>Scheele rejected name</small> *×''Majoranamaracus'' <small>Rech.f.</small> }} [[File:Gardenology.org-IMG 3007 rbgs11jan.jpg|thumb|''Origanum syriacum'']]
'''''Origanum''''' ({{IPAc-en|oʊ-|ˈ|r|ɪ|g|ə|n|ə|m}} {{respell|oh|RIG|ə|nəm}}<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, entry "origanum"</ref>) is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. They are native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in scattered locations in North America and other regions.<ref name=m>{{Cite web|url=https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=143731|title=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|website=wcsp.science.kew.org}}</ref><ref>[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/floraspecie.php?genere=Origanum Altervista Flora Italiana, genere ''Origanum''] includes photos plus distribution maps for Europe + North America</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019922|title=Origanum vulgare in Flora of China @ efloras.org|website=www.efloras.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Origanum|title=2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps|website=bonap.net}}</ref>
The plants have strongly aromatic leaves and abundant tubular flowers with long-lasting coloured bracts. The genus includes the important group of culinary herbs: marjoram (''Origanum majorana'') and oregano (''Origanum vulgare'').<ref name=RHSAZ>{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bouchra|first1=Chebli|title=Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oils of seven Moroccan Labiatae against Botrytis cinerea Pers: Fr|journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology|volume=89|issue=1|pages=165–169|year=2003|doi=10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00275-7|pmid=14522450|last2=Achouri|first2=Mohamed|last3=Idrissi Hassani|first3=L.M|last4=Hmamouchi|first4=Mohamed|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
With their decorative bracts, ''Origanum'' species and cultivars are used as ornamental plants in the garden. The cultivars 'Kent Beauty'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90151/Origanum-Kent-Beauty/Details | title = ''Origanum'' 'Kent Beauty' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 18 January 2021}}</ref> and 'Rosenkuppel'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/54017/Origanum-Rosenkuppel/Details | title = ''Origanum'' 'Rosenkuppel' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 18 January 2021}}</ref> have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
''Origanum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including ''Coleophora albitarsella''.
== Species == Reference<ref name=m/> # ''Origanum acutidens'' <small>(Hand.-Mazz.) Ietsw.</small> – Turkey, Iraq # ''Origanum × adanense'' <small>Baser & H.Duman</small> – Turkey ''(O. bargyli × O. laevigatum)'' # ''Origanum × adonidis'' <small>Mouterde</small> – Lebanon ''(O. libanoticum × O. syriacum ''subsp''. bevanii)'' # ''Origanum akhdarense'' <small>Ietsw. & Boulos</small> – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya # ''Origanum amanum'' <small>Post</small> – Hatay region of Turkey # ''Origanum × barbarae'' <small>Bornm.</small> – Lebanon ''(O. ehrenbergii × O. syriacum ''subsp''. bevanii)'' # ''Origanum bargyli'' <small>Mouterde</small> – Turkey, Syria # ''Origanum bilgeri'' <small>P.H.Davis -</small> Antalya region of Turkey # ''Origanum boissieri'' <small>Ietsw.</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum calcaratum'' Juss. – Greece # ''Origanum compactum'' <small>Benth. -</small> Spain, Morocco # ''Origanum cordifolium'' <small>(Montbret & Aucher ex Benth.) Vogel</small> – Cyprus # ''Origanum cyrenaicum'' <small>Bég. & Vacc.</small> – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya # ''Origanum dayi'' <small>Post</small> – Israel # ''Origanum dictamnus'' <small>L.</small> – hop marjoram, Cretan dittany, dittany of Crete – endemic to Crete # ''Origanum × dolichosiphon'' <small>P.H.Davis</small> – Seyhan region of Turkey ''(O. amanum × O. laevigatum)'' # ''Origanum ehrenbergii'' <small>Boiss.</small> – Lebanon # ''Origanum elongatum'' <small>(Bonnet) Emb. & Maire</small> – Morocco # ''Origanum floribundum'' <small>Munby</small> – Algeria # ''Origanum × haradjanii'' <small>Rech.f</small> – Turkey ''(O. laevigatum × O. syriacum ''subsp''. bevanii)'' # ''Origanum haussknechtii'' <small>Boiss.</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum husnucan-baseri'' <small>H.Duman, Aytac & A.Duran</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum hypericifolium'' <small>O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum × intercedens'' <small>Rech.f.</small> – Greece, Turkey ''(O. onites × O. vulgare ''subsp''. hirtum)'' # ''Origanum × intermedium'' <small>P.H.Davis</small> – Denizli region of Turkey ''(O. onites × O. sipyleum)'' # ''Origanum isthmicum'' <small>Danin</small> – Sinai # ''Origanum jordanicum'' <small>Danin & Kunne</small> – Jordan # ''Origanum laevigatum'' <small>Boiss.</small> – Turkey, Syria, Cyprus # ''Origanum leptocladum'' <small>Boiss. -</small> Turkey # ''Origanum libanoticum'' <small>Boiss.</small> – Lebanon # ''Origanum majorana'' <small>L.</small> – (sweet) marjoram – Turkey, Cyprus; naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, North Africa, North + South America # ''Origanum × lirium'' <small>Heldr. ex Halácsy</small> – Greece ''(O. scabrum × O. vulgare ''subsp''. hirtum)'' # ''Origanum × majoricum'' <small>Cambess.</small> – hardy sweet marjoram – Spain including Balearic Islands (O. majorana × O. vulgare subsp. virens) # ''Origanum microphyllum'' <small>(Benth.) Vogel</small> – Crete # ''Origanum × minoanum'' <small>P.H.Davis -</small> Crete ''(O. microphyllum × O. vulgare ''subsp''. hirtum)'' # ''Origanum minutiflorum'' <small>O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum munzurense'' <small>Kit Tan & Sorger</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum × nebrodense'' <small>Tineo ex Lojac</small> – Sicily ''(O. majorana × O. vulgare ''subsp''. viridulum)'' # ''Origanum onites'' <small>L.</small> – Greece, Turkey, Sicily # ''Origanum × pabotii'' <small>Mouterde</small> – Syria ''(O. bargyli × O. syriacum ''subsp''. bevanii)'' # ''Origanum pampaninii'' <small>(Brullo & Furnari) Ietsw</small> – Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya # ''Origanum petraeum'' <small>Danin</small> – Jordan # ''Origanum punonense'' <small>Danin</small> – Jordan # ''Origanum ramonense'' <small>Danin</small> – Levant # ''Origanum rotundifolium'' <small>Boiss.</small> – Turkey, Caucasus # ''Origanum saccatum'' <small>P.H.Davis</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum scabrum'' Boiss. & Heldr. in P.E.Boissier – Greece # ''Origanum sipyleum'' L. -Turkey, Greek Islands # ''Origanum solymicum'' <small>P.H.Davis</small> – Antalya region of Turkey # ''Origanum symes'' <small>Carlström</small> – Islands of the Aegean Sea # ''Origanum syriacum'' <small>L.</small> – Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Saudi Arabia # ''Origanum vetteri'' <small>Briq. & Barbey</small> – Crete # ''Origanum vogelii'' <small>Greuter & Burdet</small> – Turkey # ''Origanum vulgare'' <small>L.</small> – oregano – Europe, North Africa, temperate Asia (Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, etc.); naturalized in parts of North America, New Zealand, Venezuela
==Formerly placed here== *''Pogostemon benghalensis'' <small>(Burm.f.) Kuntze</small> (as ''O. benghalense'' <small>Burm.f.</small>)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wikispecies}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20050519201944/http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/oregano.pdf Herb Society of America Fact Sheet: Oregano and Marjoram (pdf)] *[http://www.aromaticas.es/oregano-mejorana-de-creta-origanum-dictamnus/3/ ''Origanum dictamnus''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421023411/http://www.aromaticas.es/oregano-mejorana-de-creta-origanum-dictamnus/3/ |date=2011-04-21 }}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q205265}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Origanum Category:Lamiaceae genera Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus