General Information

COMMON NAMES: Sweet Marjoram, Knotted Marjoram GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Mediterranean - Turkey COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands, gardens KEY FEATURES: Annual, biennial or perennial herb to 50cm. STEM hairy or hairless, red. LEAVES opposite, hairy, grey-green, oval, to 3cm. FLOWERS in axillary clusters of 'knots'; bracts overlapping, greyish, hairy, to 5mm; flowers white to mauve, 8mm.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+						-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Majorana hortensis Moench.
SYNONYMS: Origanum majorana

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Lamiales; LAMIACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: Ther is much confusion in the literature about Origanum and Marjoram. Some authors maintain the original system where by both Origanum and Marjoram are in the same species Origanum majorana. Other authors separate Marjoram or Sweet Margoram as a different species, Majorana hortensis. While others use Majorana hortensis as the main name and put Origanum majorana as a synonym - as used in this database. There is also a plant known as Wild Marjoram or Origano which is Origanum vulgare often used in Italian cooking, especially in pizzas. To confuse matter more, there is Mexican Origanum/Oregano which is Lippia graveolens [VERBENACEAE] common in Mexican cooking.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo, Kunzle garden Tupapa, 1/2003, GM - ID uncertain.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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