Stats

Lifespan: Perennial herb
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean scrubland
Range: Mediterranean and Western Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Rare

About

A fragrant Mediterranean herb with tiny oval leaves and clusters of small white flowers, sweet marjoram was so prized in ancient Greece that garlands were woven from it for wedding couples as a symbol of happiness. Though closely related to oregano, it has a distinctly sweeter and more delicate flavour that diminishes with heat, making it best added at the end of cooking.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Origanum
Species: Origanum majorana