Origanum, or Marjoram: A genus of the gymnophyllum order, belonging to the di-dynamia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 42d order, Verticillata. There is a strobilus or cone collecting the calyxes together. The principal species are, two hardy perennials and an annual for the open ground, and five perennials for the greenhouse: viz. 1. The vulgare, or wild pot-marjoram; 2. The heracleoticum, 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, marjoram, is an aromatic of the highest fragrance, is admirable for kitchen use, and excellent for nosegays; so is proper both for the kitchen and pleasure garden, but more particularly for the former. It is often called knotted marjoram, from the flowers growing in close knotted-like heads. The following mostly assume an undershrubby growth; frequently with abiding stalks, if they have shelter here in winter. 4. The dictamnus, or dittany of Crete. 5. The hypleum or origanum of mount Sipius. 6. The ceticum, or Cretan origany. 7. The smyrnaeum, or Smyrna origany. 8. The Aegyptiacum, 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.