Regarding the Mexican oregano, please note that there are several plants that go by the common name Mexican oregano, i.e. Poliomintha longiflora, Lippia graveolens, and Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia, none of which are true oreganos. Which one are you looking for? I have some contacts for two of them.

Lt, I didn't know there were three plants that went by the name of Mexican Oregano, but after looking them up I see Poliomintha longiflora is the one most often offered around San Antonio as Mexican Oregano. It's a great plant! It's evergreen and never stops blooming all summer.

It's thought that because of the lack of a proper pollinator it does not produce seeds outside it's native habitat so it's propagated by cuttings.

Weldon, perhaps someone will try to root some for you and bring them to one of the fall plant swaps. Near what city do you live?

Here is a link that might be useful: Poliomintha longiflora

Wow, ltcollins, never knew there were so many! I'm looking for a good culinary oregano. I have the "greek" one, but I understand that Mexican oregano has a stronger flavor.
Roselee, I go the the Ft. Worth swap in Trinity Park. We usually meet in Oct. I wonder if a cutting wrapped in wet newspaper could be mailed?? After the weather cools, of course.
Ltcollins if you know of the TRUE Mexican oregano or one that is a good culinary one, please share that information.
Thank you both for sharing.
Weldon

Weldon, just to let you know -- I use Poliomintha longiflora for seasoning all the time. If you don't find one locally let me know later in the year if you want a cutting mailed.

Well, "Mexican Oregano" is just a common name for the three herbs that I mentioned above. However, Poliomintha longiflora and Lippia graveolens are the ones most commonly grown as "Mexican Oregano" here in Texas with P. longiflora being slightly more hardy than the L. graveolens.

The P. longiflora is more attractive with the light mauve-pink, tubular flowers that hummingbirds love, and it stays smaller growing to about 3'. I have found that it can take a little more humidity and lower temperatures than the L. graveolens. It is considered to have the hotter taste of the two and is used in Mexican cooking as is the L. graveolens. It likes full sun but can tolerate partial sun during the afternoons.

The L. graveolens is not as pretty, with small white flowers and growing to a lanky 5', but in my humble opinion, it has a better spicy oregano flavor than the P. longiflora. It is closely related to Aloysia triphylla (lemon verbena) which was once classified as Lippia citriodora. It likes full sun and well-drained, sandy soil and hot climates. I finally lost mine after 5 years. I think it was because it wasn't planted in full sun.

Both are a tender perennials, zones 9-11, and can be propagated from cuttings and are well worth growing though here in south Texas.

roselee, I will definately try to contact you in Sept. My "greek" oregano is winter hard--evergreen. and grows low. I try to keep it trimmed but it does spread. How tall and wide does your poliomintha get?

Weldon, it's a 2 ft tall x 4 ft wide kind of sprawly plant in the all day dappled shade area it's in. I've had it there for years and might add that it's in unimproved black clay and gets very little supplemental water, but it never complains by wilting or by stopping its summer long bloom production. It flowers more prolificly in the spring and fall, but the leaves are always great for seasoning.

I just went out and took a picture. Click on the thumbtail to see it larger.

Great picture, roselee. Thanks. I for sure want a start of this.

Weldon

Wow! That is a beautiful plant! I would never have guessed that could be used for cooking. I would love to have a cutting of that, too, when it cools down if this is the same kind of oregano that you would use in spaghetti sauce.(?)

~Angela

It can be used in any recipe that calls for oregano. When substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs in a recipe, increase the amount by three, i.e. if it calls for 1 teaspoon of dry then put in 3 teaspoons of fresh! Fresh is always better in my opinion.

Thanks lt.

Y'all remind me about cuttings when the weather cools down. In the meantime I'm going to stick and couple and see what happens.

Thanks! I can't wait! Let us know how the cuttings do for you, and I'll be sure to come back and remind ya when it's cooler. Fresh oregano in my recipes... Oh, I hope, I hope that I can get this rooting to take!

~Angela

Diana Kennedy has written that Mexican "oregano" is never used fresh in Mexico -- it is ALWAYS used dried. She mentions all three species in this thread, but she says there are even more "oreganos" used in regional cooking.

I can't imagine pozole *without* dried oregano -- but I equally can't imagine it *with* fresh oregano. And none of the Mexican cooks I know ever used fresh oregano.

I live in Atlanta, z7b, and my understanding is that none of these "oreganos" is hardy in my zone. I grew L. graveolens this year -- rather unsuccessfully -- and I am wondering whether to bother overwintering it.

To add some more confusion, I recently picked up what is called Cuban oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus 'Variegatus') which is the varigated version. It too can be used as a culinary herb.

I'll bring a cutting to the swap if you want Weldon.

Dorothy

Here is a link that might be useful: cuban oregano

Thanks for reminding everyone about Cuban oregano, Dorothy,

I also grow the Cuban oregano which is a member of the same family as coleus. It is used a lot in cooking with beans and has a more intense oregano flavor in my opinion. It is a tender perennial, so make sure it is protected during the winter.

Also, anyone in the Coastal Bend area, we are having our Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale Saturday, 9-27, here in Rockport. I ordered the herbs which were delivered yesterday, and I have two flats of Cuban oregano and a dozen gallon pots of Mexican oregano Poliomintha longiflora along with lots of other wonderful herbs! Come see us from 9 until 1 across from the Aransas Library.