Common names:
Oregano, wild marjoram
Family:
Scientific name:
Origanum vulgare
Main flower color:
Range:
Commonest in Wales, and central and south England; much less frequent in the north
Height:
Up to 50 cm
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grassland and scrub
Flowers:
The corolla is light pink, hairy on the outside, with a pouched upper lip, and a lower lip of three equal-sized lobes. Stamens are exserted, and toped by purplish anthers. The calyx is purple, hairy on the inside, and divided into five lobes of equal size. Calyces are subtended by purple bracts. Flowers are produced as dense, rounded clusters, with a panicular arrangement at the top of the branched stem
Leaves:
Opposite, ovate, untoothed, hairy underneath, up to 45 mm long. Lower stem leaves may have one or two pairs of smaller leaflets at the base
Season:
July to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
