Family:  Vervain (Verbenaceae)

Hardy to zones 10 to 12, otherwise grown as an annual in the summer garden

(Mexican Oregano) Evergreen woody perennial bush native to the American SW, Mexico and Central America.  Flowers white and yellow to a height of 4 feet, sometimes as tall as 8 feet when perennialized in the warmer zones.  Not to be confused with true oregano, which is always an Origanum species in the plant family Lamiaceae.  Mexican oregano does have its positive attributes.  It is a good spice, fruity and fragrant. The plant itself is an excellent choice for dry sites, including landscaping up against walls and in restricted niches where it will thrive in sand, gravel or pumice.  The plant grows rapidly and flowers early and on an ongoing basis.  Flowers attract butterflies, bees and native pollinators.  Traditional use (TNAM): As a spice, antioxidant and antiinflammatory.  As a tea, used for treating upper respiratory complaints, stopping diarrhea or promoting menstrual flow.  Antiseptic and antiviral.  Source of carvacrol.  Plant prefers full sun and a dryish soil.  Regular garden soil, sandy soil, sandy loam, limestone-derived soils and rocky soils all support vigorous growth.  As with all Lippia, growing from seed is difficult and chancy, while the plant responds readily to reproduction by way of summer cuttings.  Mexican Oregano plants spread wide and are quite sparsely-leaved, with long internodes.  Space 3 feet apart.

Potted plant, Certified Organically Grown