Rosemary

For other uses, see Rosemary (disambiguation).
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rosemary
Rosemary in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Rosmarinus
Species: R. officinalis
Binomial name
Rosmarinus officinalis
L.[1]

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as rosemary, is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region.

It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs. The name "rosemary" derives from the Latin for "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea".[2] The plant is also sometimes called anthos, from the ancient Greek word ἄνθος, meaning "flower".[3] Rosemary has a fibrous root system.

Taxonomy

Rosmarinus officinalis is one of 2–4 species in the genus Rosmarinus.[4] The other species most often recognized is the closely related, Rosmarinus eriocalyx, of the Maghreb of Africa and Iberia. The genus was named by the 18th-century naturalist and founding taxonomist Carl Linnaeus.

Description

Illustration from Köhler's Medicinal Plants
Flowering Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus
Rosmarinus officinalis – MHNT
Rosemary illustration from an Italian herbal, circa 1500
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil

Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub that has leaves similar to hemlock needles. The leaves are used as a flavoring in foods such as stuffings and roast lamb, pork, chicken and turkey. It is native to the Mediterranean and Asia, but is reasonably hardy in cool climates. It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods.[5] Forms range from upright to trailing; the upright forms can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, rarely 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The leaves are evergreen, 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long and 2–5 mm broad, green above, and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. The plant flowers in spring and summer in temperate climates, but the plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates; flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue.[6] 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.[7]

Mythology

According to legend, it was draped around the Greek goddess Aphrodite when she rose from the sea, born of Uranus's semen. The Virgin Mary is said to have spread her blue cloak over a white-blossomed rosemary bush when she was resting, and the flowers turned blue. The shrub then became known as the "Rose of Mary".[8]

Usage

Rosemary is used as a decorative plant in gardens where it may have pest control effects. The leaves are used to flavor various foods, such as stuffings and roast meats.

Cultivation

Since it is attractive and drought-tolerant, rosemary is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and for xeriscape landscaping, especially in regions of Mediterranean climate. 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. It is easily grown in pots. The groundcover cultivars spread widely, with a dense and durable texture.

Rosemary grows on friable loam soil with good drainage in an open, sunny position. It will not withstand waterlogging and some varieties are susceptible to frost. It grows best in neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7–7.8) with average fertility. It can be propagated from an existing plant by clipping a shoot (from a soft new growth) 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long, stripping a few leaves from the bottom, and planting it directly into soil.

Cultivars

Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use. The following are frequently sold:

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-

Culinary use

Fresh or dried leaves are used in traditional Italian cuisine. They have a bitter, astringent taste and a characteristic aroma which complements many cooked foods. Herbal tea can be made from the leaves. When roasted with meats or vegetables, the leaves impart a mustard-like aroma with an additional fragrance of charred wood compatible with barbecued foods.

In amounts typically used to flavor foods, such as one teaspoon (1 gram), rosemary provides no nutritional value.[14][15] Rosemary extract has been shown to improve the shelf life and heat stability of omega 3-rich oils which are prone to rancidity.[16]

Fragrance

Rosemary oil is used for purposes of fragrant bodily perfumes or to emit an aroma into a room. It is also burnt as incense, and used in shampoos and cleaning products.

Phytochemicals and traditional medicine

Rosemary contains a number of phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, camphor, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, and the antioxidants carnosic acid and carnosol.[17][18][19]

In traditional medicine of India, extracts and essential oil from flowers and leaves are used to treat a variety of disorders.[20]

Folklore and customs

In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies. The bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary. From this association with weddings, rosemary was thought to be a love charm.[21]

In myths, rosemary has a reputation for improving memory and has been used as a symbol for remembrance during war commemorations and funerals in Europe and Australia.[22] Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (Hamlet, iv. 5.) In Australia, sprigs of rosemary are worn on ANZAC Day and sometimes Remembrance Day to signify remembrance; the herb grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.[22]

Hungary water was first prepared for the Queen of Hungary Elisabeth of Poland to " ... renovate vitality of paralyzed limbs ... " and to treat gout. It was used externally and prepared by mixing fresh rosemary tops into spirits of wine.[23] Don Quixote (Part One, Chapter XVII) mixes it in his recipe of the miraculous balm of Fierabras.[24]

References in popular culture

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rosmarinus officinalis information from NPGS/GRIN". www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  2. ↑ Room, Adrian (1988). A Dictionary of True Etymologies. Taylor & Francis. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-415-03060-1.
  3. ↑ "The month." The Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions: A Weekly Record of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences. Published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. April 1887. 804–804
  4. ↑ Rosselló, J. A.; Cosín, R.; Boscaiu, M.; Vicente, O.; Martínez, I.; Soriano, P. (2006). "Intragenomic diversity and phylogenetic systematics of wild rosemaries (Rosmarinus officinalis L. S.l., Lamiaceae) assessed by nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences (ITS)". Plant Systematics and Evolution 262: 1. doi:10.1007/s00606-006-0454-5.
  5. ↑ "How to grow the herb rosemary". GardenAction. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  6. ↑ Rosemary. BHG.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  7. ↑ McCoy, M. "Rosemary and its irritating growth habits". The Gardenist. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Rosemary". ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee (Qld) Incorporated. 1988. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  9. ↑ Rosemary. Gardenclinic.com.au. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  10. ↑ Rosmarinus officinalis 'Miss Jessop's Upright' AGM. Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  11. ↑ Rosmarinus officinalis 'Severn Sea' AGM. Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  12. ↑ Rosmarinus officinalis 'Sissinghurst Blue' AGM. Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  13. ↑ Rosmarinus officinalis var. angustissimus 'Benenden Blue' AGM. Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved on 2014-06-03.
  14. ↑ "Nutrition Facts – Dried rosemary, one teaspoon (1 g)". nutritiondata.com. Conde Nast, USDA Nutrient Database, version SR-21. 2014.
  15. ↑ "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference". NAL.usda.gov. US Department of Agriculture. 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Oregano, rosemary extracts promise omega-3 preservation". 2007-11-20.
  17. ↑ Barbut, S.; Josephson, D. B.; Maurer, A. J. (1985). "Antioxidant Properties of Rosemary Oleoresin in Turkey Sausage". Journal of Food Science 50 (5): 1356. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.1985.tb10476.x.
  18. ↑ Nakatani, N (2000). "Phenolic antioxidants from herbs and spices". BioFactors 13 (1–4): 141–6. doi:10.1002/biof.5520130123. PMID 11237173.
  19. ↑ Crowley, Laura (16 June 2008). "Rosemary extracts to receive antioxidant status".
  20. ↑ al-Sereiti MR, Abu-Amer KM, Sen P (1999). "Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials". Indian J Exp Biol 37 (2): 124–30. PMID 10641130.
  21. ↑ "History, Myths and Legends of Aromatherapy – Rosemary".
  22. 1 2 "Rosemary". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  23. ↑ "Rosemary". SuperbHerbs.net.
  24. ↑ Capuano, Thomas (2005). "Las huellas de otro texto médico en Don Quijote: Las virtudes del romero". Romance Notes 45 (3): 303–310.

External links

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