Description of Rosemary
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| Rosemary in a Vase |
The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post: The Ultimate Guide to Rosemary. For additional information about Rosemary such as its cultivation, medicinal uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post. Other individual sections are listed below:
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| Rosemary Bush |
Rosmarinus officinalis, or rosemary, is a woody, perennial evergreen shrub with aromatic needle-like leaves that range from light green to almost black on top, depending on the cultivar variety. All cultivars' leaves are white or gray underneath. The leaves are about 1/3 to 1 1/2 inches long, and slightly hairy. There is a prominent vein down the center of each leaf and the margins of them turn downward slightly.
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| White Undersides of Rosemary Leaves |
Rosemary flowers are white ('Albus'), pink ('Majorca pink'), purple ('officinalis'), pale blue ('Gray'), or deep blue ('Tuscan Blue'). The flowers are two-lipped and usually appear in spring or early summer, but in some cases, they will be visible from December until June. The flowers are generally about 1/2 inch long and edible. They have 2 upper lobes and 3 lower ones, with 4 stamens.
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| Rosemary Flower |
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| Rosemary Carpet--"Dew of the Sea" |
It is said that all rosemary flowers were once white, but only turned blue when the Virgin Mary hung her cloak on a bush of it. She did this as she was fleeing Herod's soldiers with the Christ child. Another name for rosemary is "Dew of the Sea" because of the dew-like appearance of its flowers from a distance. Rosemary branches have been strewn over courtroom floors to prevent "jail fever" (typhus). It is also an emblem of fidelity for lovers and has been carried in funerals to symbolize that the dead person has not been forgotten. As a dye, rosemary produces shades of yellow-green on wool.
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| Woody Stem of Rosemary |
Rosemary stems are squarish in shape and covered with a scaly bark. The stems usually turn woody after about their second year. Rosemary seeds are tan, oily, small and spherical. Rosemary is a member of the mint family (Labiatae), which gives it its strong aroma and slightly minty/piny taste.
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| Rosemary Seeds |
One cultivar, called 'Sawyer's Selection', has mauve or pale blue flowers that can reach a height of 8 feet after only three years. Typical height is usually around 4 feet, but it does grow very quickly. Another cultivar, 'Arp', was discovered in 1972, in Texas near the town of Arp, which lends its name to the plant. This cultivar is purported to be the hardiest cultivar of rosemary available. It has an open growing habit, with thick, gray-green, resinous leaves that are lemon-scented. It attains a height of about 5 feet at maturity and is hardy in zones 7 - 10, to a temperature of -10 degrees F. This cultivar has some of the strongest rosemary flavor available. You can even use its woody stems as meat skewers and they will infuse the food with their flavor.
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| 'Arp' Rosemary |
I hope this helps you in your identification of rosemary plants and cultivars. Please leave any questions or comments below and be sure to check out my other posts on herbs!
Peace and Love Always,
Sources:
Bremness, Leslie. RD Home Handbook: Herbs. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Association, 1990. Print.
Brown, Deni. The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. Print.
Clevely, Andi, and Katherine Richmond. The Complete Book of Herbs. New York: Smithmark, 1994. Print.
Cunnningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1992. Print.
Ehrlich, Steven D. "Rosemary." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland Medical Center, 6 July 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Gips, Kathleen. Flora's Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers . Chagrin Falls: TM Publications, 1995. Print.
Grieve, M. "Rosemary." Botanical.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs . Emmaus: Rodale, 1987. Print.
Kruger, Anna. An Illustrated Guide to Herbs. Stamford: Longmeadow, 1993. Print.
Nordqvist, Joseph. "Rosemary: Health Benefits, Precautions, Drug Interactions." Http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/. Medical News Today, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
"Rosemary." Web MD. Ed. Therapeutic Research Faculty. Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2009. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Shaudys, Phyllis. The Pleasure of Herbs. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1986. Print.
Shaudys, Phyllis V. Herbal Treasures. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1990. Print.
Photo Credits:
Description of Rosemary Header Image: Photo Credit: Rosemary flowers in a spoon by creativefamily
Rosemary in a Vase: Photo Credit: Rosemary herb flower in a glass bowl by slyudmila
Rosemary for Graphic: Photo credit: StephenMitchell via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND
Rosemary Bush:
Photo credit: intheburg via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
White Undersides of Rosemary:
Photo credit: craigles75 via VisualHunt.com / CC BY
Rosemary Flower Extreme Close up:
Photo credit: fturmog via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Rosemary Carpet:
Photo credit: johnlichtenstein via VisualHunt.com / CC BY
Arp Rosemary: https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/rosoffarp.htm
Description of Rosemary Header Image: Photo Credit: Rosemary flowers in a spoon by creativefamily
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