Scientific Name:
Origanum rotundifolium
(incl. hybrids)
Pronunciation:
uh-RIG-uh-num roe-tun-dih-FOE-lee-um
Common Name:
hop-like oregano, round-leaved oregano
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, broadly elliptic to orbicular, most 1-2cm long x 0.5-1.5cm wide, fussy-velvety pubescence, gray-green (silvery or lime green cvs.); flowers pink to purple in masses of hop-like greenish flower bracts that are larger than the leaves (especially in some hybrid cvs. such as O. 'Kent Beauty' with more vivid colours).
Habit:
Horizontal, Pendulous, Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like, Mounded
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central / west Asia, Garden origin (hybrids may involve O. laevigatum or O. scabra. )
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting, Ground cover, Herb, Perennial border, Rock garden
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include
O. 'Amethyst Falls',
O. 'Barbara Tingey',
O. 'Bristol Cross', and
O. 'Kent Beauty'. Compare to O. libanoticum.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent, Distinctive smell
Colour in Summer:
Green, Green-yellow, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Elliptic, Orbicular
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Scent similar to culinary oregano but milder
Inflorescence Type:
Verticillaster, Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
White, Green-yellow, Purple, Pink
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp, Aborted (hybrids) or absent
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Dark brown
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Prune back in spring when new growth appears
Pest Susceptibility:
Root rot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
