Scientific Name:
Origanum majorana
Pronunciation:
uh-RIG-uh-num may-jur-AY-nuh
Common Name:
sweet marjoram
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as)
Key ID Features:
Stems 4-sided; leaves perfume scented like pine and citrus, opposite, ovate-elliptic, medium gray-green, and pubescent, most 5-21mm long x 2-11mm wide; florets up to 3mm wide, white to pink
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Alkaline, Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract butterflies, Bedding plant, Container planting, Fragrance, Hanging basket, Herb, Rock garden
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Distinctive smell
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Obtuse
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Verticillaster
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Pink
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Leaf-like bracts
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Other:
leaf flavour best before flowering to keep pinched back
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites, Root rot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
