{"id":2894,"date":"2019-06-08T00:07:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T07:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-211\/"},"modified":"2023-08-04T13:50:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T20:50:17","slug":"on-the-difference-between-marjoram-and-oregano","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-the-difference-between-marjoram-and-oregano\/","title":{"rendered":"on the difference between marjoram and oregano"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have marjoram and\/or oregano growing all over. I like it and use it<\/strong>
\nas filler, left over from herbs I bought several years ago. But, to<\/strong>
\ncut them and use for seasoning, I don’t know which is which and they<\/strong>
\ndon’t seem to be so fragrant. Should I just start over and buy new<\/strong>
\nplants to know what I have? How can I tell the difference between the two plants?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Everytime I get this question (this almost qualifies for a frequently asked
\nquestion) I have to look it up again because even the authorities get mixed
\nup.<\/p>\n

Oregano and marjoram are the same genus, Origanum<\/i>, but different species\/hybrids. Marjoram usually refers to Origanum majorana<\/em><\/a>. Marjoram leaves tend to be more gray green in color than oregano, and the leaves are generally smaller. Oregano usually refers to Origanum vulgare<\/em><\/a>. It has a more pungent flavor, while marjoram is sweeter and milder. If you are interested in learning more, this guide from the Herb Society of America<\/a> goes into great depth on oregano and marjoram.<\/p>\n

The short answer to your question is yes, you should start over with new
\nplants if you want good flavored herbs. You could bring in a sample to the Hyde Herbarium<\/a> here at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St. Seattle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have marjoram and\/or oregano growing all over. I like it and use it as filler, left over from herbs I bought several years ago. But, to cut them and use for seasoning, I don’t know which is which and they don’t seem to be so fragrant. Should I just start over and buy new plants to know what I have? How can I tell the difference between the two plants?   Everytime I get this question (this almost qualifies…<\/p>\n

Continue reading on the difference between marjoram and oregano<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[76,763],"class_list":["post-2894","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-herbs","keyword-origanum"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2894"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}