Origanum ×majoricum

Italian oregano, hardy sweet marjoram, Hardy Sweet Marjoram

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Italian oregano is a naturalized perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills and Sacramento Valley in disturbed areas at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering during summer, this plant produces white flowers in small panicle-like clusters with pale green bracts. Growing with erect stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall that are short-hairy, it spreads from underground rhizomes. Its small leaves are 5 to 12 millimeters long, entire with ciliate margins, and minutely gland-dotted with a glabrous to slightly hairy surface. The delicate white flowers are two-lipped, approximately 5 to 6 millimeters long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: +- summer

Elevation: < 600 m

Bioregions: n SNF, ScV

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.