Origanum vulgare (wild marjoram, "Hanahakka")

Japanese name: ハナハッカ （花薄荷）
Scientific name: Origanum vulgare

[Overview]
A perennial about 20–80 cm tall.
The stems and leaves are hairy.
The whole plant has a fragrance similar to thyme.
The stem has 4 ridges, is almost square in cross section, and becomes woody at the base.
The leaves are simple and opposite, broadly ovate, 1–4 cm long, with entire margins.
They have petioles.
At the tip of the flower stalk is an inflorescence of spikelets about 3 cm long gathered in a panicle to corymb form, accompanied by purplish red bracts.
Small white, pink or purple flowers bloom inside the bracts.
The corolla has an upper lip with 2 lobes and a lower lip with 3 lobes.

[Uses]
It is used in meat dishes, tomato sauces and the like.
It is also used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, by shoot cuttings, and so on.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil and dislikes heat and humidity, so in summer grow it on the dry side with good ventilation.
It also grows well in poor or dry soil.
For potted plants, water after the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary, and too much weakens the fragrance.
Fertilizer high in nitrogen also makes the leaves grow too thickly and reduces ventilation within the plant.
There are no particular pests or diseases, but if the branches become crowded, the plant becomes stuffy and disease may occur.

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