Rosmarinus
Appearance
Rosmarinus
Rosemary | |
---|---|
Genus: | Rosmarinus |
Family: | Lamiaceaae |
Pollination: | Insects |
Toxicity and edibility: | Edible |
Rosmarinus is a small genus of woody, perennial herbs with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region.
Description
[edit | edit source]Growing conditions
[edit | edit source]Varieties
[edit | edit source]There are just two species, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary), widespread in the Mediterranean region, and Rosmarinus eriocalyx, native to northwest Africa and southern Spain. The latter differs from the well-known herb rosemary in its smaller leaves, only 5-15 mm long and less than 2 mm broad, and densely hairy flower stems. It also tends to be lower-growing, often under 25 cm tall and prostrate, and never exceeding 1 m tall (R. officinalis can reach 1.5 m, exceptionally 2 m, tall).