Wikimedia Commons
Lamiaceae
Hop Marjoram
Origanum dictamnus
Cretan wildness and healing power.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Genus
- Origanum
- Native to
- Crete (Greece)
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 15–30 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky, alkaline
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 8–11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Known as 'dittany of Crete', it grows wild only on rocky Cretan cliff faces, making it difficult to harvest.
- Ancient Greeks believed wounded wild goats would seek out dittany to heal arrow injuries.
- The rounded, woolly leaves and hop-like pink bracts make it one of the most ornamental oregano relatives.
- Hippocrates prescribed dittany of Crete for stomach ailments and to ease childbirth pain.
- It is now a protected species in Greece due to centuries of over-harvesting from wild populations.
Color meanings
Pink
healing love
Purple
mountain spirit