Origany, or Marjoram; a genus of the gymnosophria order, belonging to the dianthus clas of plants. The principal species are, two hardy perennials and an annual for the open ground, and five perennials for the green-house: viz. 1. The vulgaris, or wild pot-marjoram; 2. The helleboreoticum, or winter sweet-marjoram. These are finely-scented aromatics, excellent for culinary purposes, particularly for broths, soups, &c. They have likewise merit for medical uses, and for giving fragrance to ointments; so that the plants are proper both for kitchen and physic gardens, and may also be employed in the pleasure-ground as plants of variety. 3. The marjorana, or annual sweet marjoram, is an aromatic of the highest fragrance, is admirable for kitchen use, and excellent for nogeys; so is proper both for the kitchen and pleasure garden, but more particularly the former. It is often called knotted marjoram, from the flowers growing in close knotted-like heads. The following mostly assume an underhairy growth; frequently with abiding stalks, if they have shelter here in winter. 4. The dictamnus, or dittany of Crete; 5. The sipyleum, or origanum of Sipylus; 6. The ceteicum, or Cretan origany; 7. The smyrnnum, or Smyrna origany; 8. The Ægyptiacum, or Egyptian origany. All these eight species of origanum flower in July and August; the flowers are small, monopetalous, ringent, universally hermaphrodite, and collected into verticilli round the stalks; succeeded by ripe seed in autumn; though in this country the annual marjoram and the three green-house sorts seldom perfect seed well, unless the autumn proves remarkably fine and warm: in default, however, of seed, the propagation of all the perennial sorts, both hardy and green-house kinds, is easily effected by slips of the roots, &c. And the seed of the annual sort is imported plentifully from France or Italy, by the seed-dealers.