Rosemary
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''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant,
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family,
Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...
. The species is
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
to the Mediterranean region, as well as Portugal and Spain. It has a number of cultivars and its leaves are commonly used as a flavoring.


Description

Rosemary has a fibrous root system. It forms an aromatic
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
shrub with leaves similar to ''
Tsuga ''Tsuga'' (, from Japanese (), the name of '' Tsuga sieboldii'') is a genus of conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae of Pinaceae, the pine family. The English-language common name "hemlock" arose from a perceived similarity in the smell of it ...
'' needles. Forms range from upright to trailing; the upright forms can reach between tall. The leaves are evergreen, long and broad, green above, and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. The plant flowers in spring and summer in
temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
s, but the plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates; flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue. The branches are dotted with groups of 2 to 3 flowers down its length. Rosemary also has a tendency to flower outside its normal flowering season; it has been known to flower as late as early December, and as early as mid-February (in the Northern Hemisphere). The plant can live as long as 35 years.


Similar species

'' Salvia jordanii'' (formerly ''Rosmarinus eriocalyx'') is a closely related species native to
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
and the
Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...
of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.


Taxonomy

''Salvia rosmarinus'' is now considered one of many hundreds of species in the genus ''
Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with just under 1,000 species of shrubs, Herbaceous plant, herbaceous Perennial plant, perennials, and Annual plant, annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part o ...
''. Formerly it was placed in a much smaller genus, ''
Rosmarinus Rosmarinus ( ) is a small taxonomic clade of woody, perennial herbs with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin. In 2017 the species in the genus ''Rosmarinus'' were moved into the lar ...
'', which contained only two to four species including ''Rosmarinus'' ''officinalis (),''' which is now considered a
synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
. Both the original and current genus names of the species were applied by the 18th-century
naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
and founding taxonomist
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
.


Etymology

Elizabeth Kent noted in her ''Flora Domestica'' (1823), "The botanical name of this plant is compounded of two
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
words [], signifying Sea-dew; and indeed Rosemary thrives best by the sea."


Distribution and habitat

It is
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
to the Mediterranean region, as well as Portugal and northwestern Spain. It was first mentioned on
cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...
stone tablets as early as 5000 BCE. The herb was naturalized in China as early as 220 CE, during the late
Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
. Rosemary came to England at an unknown date, though it is likely that the Romans brought it when they invaded Britain in 43 CE. Even so, there are no viable records containing rosemary in Britain until the 8th century CE. This mention was in a document which was later credited to
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
, who promoted the general usage of herbs and ordered rosemary specifically to be grown in monastic gardens and farms. There are no records of rosemary being properly naturalized in Britain until 1338, when cuttings were sent to
Queen Philippa Queen Philippa may refer to: * Philippa of Hainault (1310–1369), queen consort of England * Philippa of Lancaster (1360–1415), queen consort of Portugal * Philippa of England Philippa of England (mid-1394 – 5 January 1430), also known a ...
by her mother, Countess Joan of Hainault. It was then planted in the garden of the old palace of Westminster. Since then, rosemary can be found in most English herbal texts. Rosemary finally arrived in the Americas with early European settlers in the beginning of the 17th century, and was soon spread to South America and distributed globally. It is reasonably hardy in cool climates. Special cultivars like 'Arp' can withstand winter temperatures down to about . It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods. It is considered a potentially
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
and its seeds are often difficult to start, with a low germination rate.


Cultivation

Since it is attractive and drought-tolerant, rosemary is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and for
xeriscape Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained acceptance in other ...
landscaping, especially in regions of
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
. It is considered easy to grow and pest-resistant. Rosemary can grow quite large and retain attractiveness for many years, can be pruned into formal shapes and low hedges, and has been used for
topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...
. It is easily grown in pots. The
groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...
cultivars spread widely, with a dense and durable texture. In order to harvest from the plant, the bush should be matured 2–3 years to ensure it is large enough to withstand it. The amount harvested should not exceed 20% of the growth in order to preserve the plant.


Cultivars

Numerous
cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...
have been selected for garden use. * 'Albus' – white flowers * 'Arp' – leaves light green, lemon-scented and especially cold-hardy * 'Aureus' – leaves speckled yellow * 'Benenden Blue' – leaves narrow, dark green * 'Blue Boy' – dwarf, small leaves * 'Blue Rain' – pink flowers * 'Golden Rain' – leaves green, with yellow streaks * 'Gold Dust' – dark green leaves, with golden streaks but stronger than 'Golden Rain' * 'Haifa' – low and small, white flowers * 'Irene' – low and lax, trailing, intense blue flowers * 'Lockwood de Forest' – procumbent selection from 'Tuscan Blue' * 'Ken Taylor' – shrubby * 'Majorica Pink' – pink flowers * 'Miss Jessopp's Upright' – distinctive tall
fastigiate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...
form, with wider leaves. * 'Pinkie' – pink flowers * 'Prostratus' – lower groundcover * 'Pyramidalis' (or 'Erectus') – fastigiate form, pale blue flowers * 'Remembrance' (or 'Gallipoli') – taken from the Gallipoli Peninsula * 'Roseus' – pink flowers * 'Salem' – pale blue flowers, cold-hardy similar to 'Arp' * 'Severn Sea' – spreading, low-growing, with arching branches, flowers deep violet * 'Sudbury Blue' – blue flowers * 'Tuscan Blue' – traditional robust upright form * 'Wilma's Gold' – yellow leaves The following cultivars have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
: * '
Benenden Benenden is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, to the west of Tenterden. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, East End, Dingleden and Standen Street set ...
Blue' * 'Miss Jessopp's Upright' * 'Severn Sea' * '
Sissinghurst Sissinghurst is a small village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. Originally called ''Milkhouse Street'' (also referred to as ''Mylkehouse''), Sissinghurst changed its name in the 1850s, possibly to avoid association with the s ...
Blue'


Uses


Culinary

Rosemary leaves are used as a flavoring in foods, such as
stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in Soup, liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for ...
s,
stuffing Stuffing, filling, or dressing is an edible mixture, often composed of herbs and a Starch#Food, starch such as bread, used to fill a cavity in the preparation of another food item. Many foods may be stuffed, including poultry, seafood, and v ...
, roasted meats, and
marinade Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ingredien ...
s. Fresh or dried leaves are used in traditional
Mediterranean cuisine Mediterranean cuisine is the food and methods of preparation used by the people of the Mediterranean basin. The idea of a Mediterranean cuisine originates with the cookery writer Elizabeth David's book, ''A Book of Mediterranean Food'' (1950), ...
, having an
aroma An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive v ...
of pine which complements many cooked foods.
Herbal tea Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...
can be made from the leaves. In some cooking, the woody stem, stripped of its leaves, is used as a
skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...
.


Fragrance

Hungary water, dating to the 14th century, was one of the first alcohol-based perfumes in Europe, and was primarily made from distilled rosemary. Rosemary oil is used in perfumes, shampoos, cleaning products, and
aromatherapy Aromatherapy is a practice based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being. It is used as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medic ...
.


Phytochemicals

Rosemary
essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...
contains some 150
phytochemical Phytochemicals are naturally-occurring chemicals present in or extracted from plants. Some phytochemicals are nutrients for the plant, while others are metabolites produced to enhance plant survivability and reproduction. The fields of ext ...
s, including rosmarinic acid,
camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...
, A-pinene,
caffeic acid Caffeic acid is an organic compound with the formula . It is a polyphenol with a key role in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in energy metabolism. Caffeic acid is also one major polyphenol responsible for maintaining normal le ...
,
ursolic acid Ursolic acid (sometimes referred to as urson, prunol, malol, or 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid), is a pentacyclic triterpenoid identified in the epicuticular waxes of apples as early as 1920 and widely found in the peels of fruits, as we ...
,
betulinic acid Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a more recently discovered potential as an anticancer agent, by inhibition of topoisomerase. ...
, carnosic acid, and carnosol. Rosemary essential oil contains 10–20% camphor. Rosemary
extract An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered. The aromatic principles of ma ...
, specifically the type mainly consisting of carnosic acid and carnosol, is approved as a food preservative in several countries, having
E number E numbers, short for Europe numbers, are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods, such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...
E392.


In culture

Rosemary was considered sacred to ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. In ''
Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
'' (Part One, Chapter XVII), the fictional hero uses rosemary in his recipe for balm of fierabras. It was written about by
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
(23–79 CE) and
Pedanius Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides (, ; 40–90 AD), "the father of pharmacognosy", was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of (in the original , , both meaning "On Medical Material") , a 5-volume Greek encyclopedic pharmacopeia on he ...
(c. 40 CE to c. 90 CE), a Greek botanist (amongst other things). The latter talked about rosemary in his most famous writing, ''
De Materia Medica (Latin name for the Greek work , , both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The five-volume work was written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, ...
'', one of the most influential herbal books in history. The plant has been used as a symbol for remembrance during war commemorations and funerals in Europe and Australia. Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Australia, sprigs of rosemary are worn on
ANZAC Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...
and sometimes
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...
to signify remembrance; the herb grows wild on the
Gallipoli Peninsula The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
, where many Australians died during World War I. Several Shakespeare plays refer to the use of rosemary in burial or memorial rites. In Shakespeare's ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'',
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember." It likewise appears in Shakespeare's ''Winter's Tale'' in Act 4 Scene 4, where Perdita talks about "Rosemary and Rue". In Act 4 Scene 5 of ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
'', Friar Lawrence admonishes the Capulet household to "stick your rosemary on this fair corse, and as the custom is, and in her best array, bear her to church." It is also said that "In the language of flowers it means 'fidelity in love.'" Rosemary is one of the four herbs mentioned in the refrain of the folk song " Scarborough Fair." In the Spanish fairy tale
The Sprig of Rosemary The Sprig of Rosemary ( Catalan: ''Lo romaní'') is a Catalan fairy tale from Spain collected by Dr. D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros in ''Cuentos Populars Catalans''. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Pink Fairy Book''. It is related to the i ...
, the heroine touches the hero with the titular sprig of rosemary in order to restore his magically lost memory. Rosemary is used in
Danube Swabian The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...
culture for christenings, weddings, burials and festivals; for example, an apple with a sprig of rosemary in it is used for
Kirchweih Kirchweih is literally the dedication of a church in German. More generally it also names the celebration of the anniversary of a dedication both at church and in local customs. The festivity is often on the day celebrating a church's patron sai ...
celebrations.


See also

* Four thieves vinegar


References


External links

*
Rosemary List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's)
{{Authority control
rosmarinus Rosmarinus ( ) is a small taxonomic clade of woody, perennial herbs with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin. In 2017 the species in the genus ''Rosmarinus'' were moved into the lar ...
Drought-tolerant plants Garden plants Herbs Matorral shrubland Flora of the Mediterranean basin Mediterranean cuisine Plants described in 1753 Plants used in bonsai E-number additives Subshrubs