Satureja subspicata, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland, GB, IMG 3779 edit.jpg

''Satureja'' is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included in ''Satureja'', but they have all been moved to other genera. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.

Description

''Satureja'' species may be annual or perennial. They are low-growing herbs and subshrubs, reaching heights of .

The leaves are long, with flowers forming in whorls on the stem, white to pale pink-violet.

Ecology and cultivation

''Satureja'' species are food plants for the larva of some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). Caterpillars of the moth ''Coleophora bifrondella'' feed exclusively on winter savory (''S. montana'').

Savory may be grown purely for ornamental purposes; members of the genus need sun and well-drained soil.

Uses

Both summer savory (''Satureja hortensis'') and winter savory (''Satureja montana'') are used to flavor food. The former is preferred by cooks but as an annual is only available in summer; winter savory is an evergreen perennial.

Savory plays an important part in Armenian, Georgian, Bulgarian and Italian cuisine, particularly when cooking beans. It is also used to season the traditional Acadian stew known as '. Savory is also a key ingredient in '' sarmale'', a stuffed cabbage dish in traditional Romanian cuisine. The modern spice mixture Herbes de Provence has savory as one of the principal ingredients.

In Azerbaijan, savory is often incorporated as a flavoring in black tea.

Species

* ''Satureja adamovicii'' Šilic – Balkans
* '' Satureja aintabensis'' P.H.Davis – Turkey
* '' Satureja amani'' P.H.Davis – Turkey
* '' Satureja atropatana'' Bunge – Iran
* '' Satureja avromanica'' Maroofi – Iran
* ''Satureja bachtiarica'' Bunge – Iran
* ''Satureja boissieri'' Hausskn. ex Boiss. – Turkey, Iran
* '' Satureja bzybica'' Woronow – Caucasus
* '' Satureja × caroli-paui'' G.López – Spain ''(S. innota × S. montana)''
* ''Satureja cilicica'' P.H.Davis – Turkey
* ''Satureja coerulea'' Janka – Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey
* ''Satureja cuneifolia'' Ten – Spain, Italy, Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Iraq
* ''Satureja × delpozoi'' Sánchez-Gómez, J.F.Jiménez & R.Morales – Spain ''(S. cuneifolia × S. intricata var. gracilis)''
* '' Satureja edmondii'' Briq. – Iran
** A recent study found the essential oils of Satureja ''edmondii'' have antimicrobial properties and can protect food from '' S. aureus''. The test was conducted on commercial soup products.
* '' Satureja × exspectata'' G.López – Spain ''(S. intricata var. gracilis × S. montana)''
* '' Satureja fukarekii'' Šilic – Yugoslavia
* '' Satureja hellenica'' Halácsy – Greece
* ''Satureja hortensis'' L. – summer savory – Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, Crimea, Caucasus, Altai Republic, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, western Himalayas; naturalized in western Mediterranean, Persian Gulf sheikdoms, Cuba, Dominican Republic, scattered locations in United States
** The heterogeneous mixture of the ''Satureja hortensis L.'' essential oil in water serves as a natural herbicide. The addition of this mixture inhibits the root elongation of weeds which reduces the weed's root-to-shoot ratio. This further reduces the weed's cell division and inhibits its germination, growth, and physiological processes.
* ''Satureja horvatii'' Šilic – Greece, Yugoslavia
* '' Satureja icarica'' P.H.Davis – Greek Islands
* '' Satureja innota'' (Pau) Font Quer – Spain
* '' Satureja intermedia'' C.A.Mey. – Iran, Caucasus
* ''Satureja intricata'' Lange – Spain
* '' Satureja isophylla'' Rech.f. – Iran
* ''Satureja kallarica'' Jamzad – Iran
* '' Satureja kermanshahensis'' Jamzad – Iran
* '' Satureja khuzistanica'' Jamzad – Iran
**Essential oils of ''Satureja khuzistanica'' have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which can be useful in medical treatments. A recent study found that higher concentrations of essential oils of ''Satureja khuzistanica '' helped reduce adverse effects of traumatic brain injuries in rats.
* '' Satureja kitaibelii'' Wierzb. ex Heuff. – Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia
* '' Satureja laxiflora'' K.Koch – Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus
* '' Satureja linearifolia'' (Brullo & Furnari) Greuter – Cyrenaica region of Libya
* '' Satureja macrantha'' C.A.Mey. – Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus
* '' Satureja metastasiantha'' Rech.f. – Iraq
* ''Satureja montana'' L. – winter savory – southern Europe, Turkey, Syria
* '' Satureja mutica'' Fisch. & C.A.Mey. – Caucasus, Iran, Turkmenistan
* '' Satureja nabateorum'' Danin & Hedge – Jordan
* '' Satureja × orjenii'' Šilic – Yugoslavia ''(S. horvatii × S. montana)''
* '' Satureja pallaryi'' J.Thiébaut – Syria
* ''Satureja parnassica'' Heldr. & Sart. ex Boiss. – Greece, Turkey
* ''Satureja pilosa'' Velen. – Italy, Greece, Bulgaria
* ''Satureja rumelica'' Velen. – Bulgaria
* ''Satureja sahendica'' Bornm. – Iran
* '' Satureja salzmannii'' (Kuntze) P.W.Ball – Morocco, Spain
* '' Satureja spicigera'' (K.Koch) Boiss. – Turkey, Iran, Caucasus
* '' Satureja spinosa'' L. – Turkey, Greek Islands including Crete
* '' Satureja subspicata'' Bartl. ex Vis. – Austria, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Italy
* '' Satureja taurica'' Velen. – Crimea
* '' Satureja thymbra'' L. – Libya, southeastern Europe from Sardinia to Turkey; Cyprus, Lebanon, Palestine
* '' Satureja thymbrifolia'' Hedge & Feinbrun – Israel, Saudi Arabia
* '' Satureja visianii'' Šilic. – Yugoslavia
* ''Satureja wiedemanniana'' (Avé-Lall.) Velen. – Turkey

Formerly in ''Satureja''

* Browne's savory, ''Clinopodium brownei'' (as ''Satureja brownei'')
* San Miguel Savory, ''Clinopodium chandleri'' (as ''Satureja chandleri'')
* Large-flowered calamint, '' Calamintha grandiflora'' (as ''Satureja grandiflora'')
* Stone mint, ''Cunila mariana'' (as ''Satureja origanoides'')
*'' Satureja acinos'' (L.) Scheele = ''Clinopodium acinos'' (L.) Kuntze
* '' Satureja alpina'' (L.) Scheele = ''Clinopodium alpinum'' (L.) Kuntze
* ''Satureja biflora'' (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Benth = ''Micromeria biflora'' (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Benth
* ''Satureja gillesii'' (Graham) Briq. = '' Clinopodium chilense'' (Benth.) Govaerts
* '' Satureja mexicana'' (Benth.) Briq. = ''Clinopodium mexicanum'' (Benth.) Govaerts
* '' Satureja multiflora'' (Ruiz & Pav.) Briq. – Chilean shrub mint = '' Clinopodium multiflorum'' (Ruiz & Pav.) Kuntze
* '' Satureja palmeri'' (A.Gray) Briq. (believed extinct; rediscovered 2001) = '' Clinopodium palmeri'' (A.Gray) Kuntze
* '' Satureja paradoxa'' (Vatke) Engl. ex Seybold = '' Clinopodium paradoxum'' (Vatke) Ryding
* '' Satureja robusta'' (Hook.f) Brenan = '' Clinopodium robustum'' (Hook.f) Ryding
* '' Satureja viminea'' L. – serpentine savory = ''Clinopodium vimineum'' (L.) Kuntze
* '' Satureja vulgaris'' (L.) Fritschl = '' Clinopodium vulgare'' L.
* ''Satureja vernayana'' Brenan = '' Clinopodium vernayanum'' (Brenan) Ryding
* '' Satureja douglasii'' (Benth.) Briq. – yerba buena (syn. ''S. chamissonis'') = Micromeria douglasii Benth

Etymology

The etymology of the Latin word "satureia" is unclear. Speculation that it is related to ''saturare'',F. E. J. Valpy, ''An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language'', 1828, p. 542. to '' satyr'', or to za'atar is not well supported. The ancient Hebrew name is Tzatrah צתרה.

Notes

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22858

Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae genera
Herbs
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora of Kurdistan
Flora of the Mediterranean Basin
Mediterranean cuisine