bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Origanum syriacum; syn. Majorana syriaca (also Origanum maru, although this primarily refers to a hybrid of O. syriacum),[3] bible hyssop,[4] Biblical-hyssop,[1] Lebanese oregano[1] or Syrian oregano,[1] is an aromatic perennial herb in the mint family, Lamiaceae.

Origanum syriacum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Origanum
Species:	O. syriacum
Binomial name
Origanum syriacum L.[1]
Synonyms[2]
Majorana syriaca (L.) Raf. Schizocalyx syriacus (L.) Scheele

Etymology

The plant may be called za'atar by association with its use in an herb-spice mixture. In Modern Hebrew, it is called ezov, and it may have been the אֵזוֹב ezov of Classical Hebrew.[5] In many English translations of the Bible, ezov is rendered as hyssop, hence the common name for bible hyssop, believed to be a different plant generally identified with Hyssopus officinalis.

The problems with identification arise from Jewish oral tradition where it expressly prohibits Greek hyssop, and where the biblical plant is said to have been identical to the Arabic word, zaatar (Origanum syriacum), and which word is not to be associated with other types of ezov that often bear an additional epithet, such as zaatar farsi = Persian-hyssop (Thymus capitatus) and zaatar rumi = Roman-hyssop (Satureja thymbra) and zaatar mani = calamint (Calamintha incana).[6]

Description

Origanum syriacum grows to a height of 1 meter. The plant is pollinated by bees.[4] Flowers are small and white or pale pink.[7]

Distribution

Origanum syriacum is native to the Middle East.[1] In Egypt, Origanum syriacum subsp. sinaicum is a very rare plant that grows on stony ground in Sinai Peninsula including the coastal Mediterranean strip.[8] From the conservation point of view it is an endangered plant.

Use

It is a preferred primary ingredient in the spice mixture za'atar. So precious is this herb that in the Levant, Arabs will send out foraging parties to gather it. Origanum syriacum is harvested in the wild for use in preparing za'atar, a mixture of dried herbs, sesame and sumac for flavoring and garnish. However, it has recently entered cultivation due to high levels of demand.[9]

Further reading

• Fleisher, Alexander; Fleisher, Zhenia (1988). "Identification of Biblical Hyssop and Origin of the Traditional Use of Oregano-Group Herbs in the Mediterranean Region". Economic Botany. Springer. 42 (2): 232–241. doi:10.1007/BF02858924. JSTOR 4255069. S2CID 45220405.
• Paton, Alan (1994). "Three Membranous-bracted Species of Origanum". The Kew Magazine. Wiley. 11 (3): 109–117. JSTOR 45067209.

References

External links

• Media related to Origanum syriacum at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Origanum syriacum at Wikispecies
• Wild Flowers of Israel. Majorana syriaca

На других языках

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- [en] Origanum syriacum

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[ru] Душица сирийская

Души́ца сири́йская (лат. Origánum syriácum) — многолетнее травянистое растение рода Душица (Origanum) семейства Яснотковые (Lamiaceae).

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