There is lots of discussion about "Mexican Oregano"! Here is some information that I have compiled!
Well, "Mexican Oregano" is just
a common name for the two herbs listed below. There is at least one other herb that is referred to as Mexican Oregano, but as far as I understand, it is not considered a culinary herb and it does not grow well in Texas!
Poliomintha
longiflora and Lippia graveolens are the ones most commonly grown as
"Mexican Oregano" here in Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The P.
longiflora is more attractive with the light mauve-pink, tubular
flowers that hummingbirds love, and it stays smaller growing to about 3'. I
have found that it can take a little more humidity and lower temperatures than
the L. graveolens. It is considered
to have the hotter taste of the two and is used in Mexican cooking as is the L. graveolens. It likes full sun but can
tolerate partial sun during the afternoons.
Botanical
Name
|
Poliomintha
longiflora
|
Common
Name
|
Mexican
Oregano
|
Attribute
|
Perennial
|
Cultural Requirements
|
Full sun to part shade. Low
water usage.
|
Mature size, Spacing
|
Ht: to 3' or so, 40" wide.
Woody shrub.
|
Other Information
|
Light pink, tubular flowers
cover this shrubby plant during the warm weather. Although not a true
oregano, the narrow shiny green leaves are full of real oregano flavor. Dries
well.
|
Mexican
oregano (Poliomintha longiflora) is a strong-smelling plant popular in Mexico and Texas
South of the Border: Mexican Herbs for Texas
By Ann McCormick
Mexican Oregano
If you have room for just one native herb, then Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora) is your best choice. The leaves of this shrubby herb are a somewhat spicy replacement for garden oregano. When substituting, reduce the amount in your recipe to about two-thirds of garden oregano.
Mexican oregano likes full sun but will also grow in partial shade. This graceful perennial provides lovely color through summer and into fall with tubular white, pink and lavender flowers. It generally reaches 3 feet. In my shade garden, however, it is prostrate, growing no higher than about 10 inches. Although native to the drier regions ofTexas
If you have room for just one native herb, then Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora) is your best choice. The leaves of this shrubby herb are a somewhat spicy replacement for garden oregano. When substituting, reduce the amount in your recipe to about two-thirds of garden oregano.
Mexican oregano likes full sun but will also grow in partial shade. This graceful perennial provides lovely color through summer and into fall with tubular white, pink and lavender flowers. It generally reaches 3 feet. In my shade garden, however, it is prostrate, growing no higher than about 10 inches. Although native to the drier regions of
Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora) is
doing very well with minimal water, and it's covered in the pinky-purple
flowers it's known for. This is an underused plant. It has great flavor, is
evergreen during the winter in our part of the state, and flowers during the
hottest part of the summer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The L.
graveolens is not as pretty as the P. longiflora, with small yelow-white flowers and growing to a lanky 5',
but in my humble opinion, it has a better spicy oregano flavor than the P. longiflora. It is closely related to Aloysia triphylla (lemon verbena) which
was once classified as Lippia citriodora.
It likes full sun and well-drained, sandy soil and hot climates. I finally lost
mine after 5 years. I think it was because it wasn't planted in full sun.
Botanical
Name
|
Lippia graveolens
|
Common
Name
|
Mexican
Oregano
|
Attribute
|
Tender Perennial
|
Cultural Requirements
|
Full sun to part shade. Low
water usage.
|
Mature size, Spacing
|
Ht: 4' to 5'. Shrubby in form.
|
Other Information
|
Native of
|
It's a slender aromatic shrub or small tree, whose pubescent
(felty) branches bear rounded to obtuse, bluntly serrated leaves. Fragrant
flowers are yellowish or white with a yellow eye and occur throughout the year,
especially after rains.
Mexican Oregano (Lippia) lippia graveolens
Oregano, Mexican (Lippia graveolens) This is probably the better known of the
"Mexican Oreganos" in this country. Actually a relative of Lemon
Verbena, this grows as a small shrub, reaching 3-5 feet in one season in Zone
5. Much of the oregano used commercially in the U.S.
Both of
these Mexican Oreganos are tender perennials, growing in zones 9-11, and can be
propagated from cuttings and are well worth growing here in south Texas
