Common Name:
oreganillo
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Botanical Name:
Aloysia wrightii
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Oreganillo is a perennial, deciduous, aromatic shrub that has diffused branching and is roughly 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and wide (2). Branches and stems are slender with a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 in) re tetragonol and are covered with dense gray pubescence (2,4). Leaves are distinguished by their grayish-green color, and their crowded, opposite attachment on the stems (4). The leaves are 1-2 cm (1/10-6/10 in) long, on petioles 1-4mm (0.15 in)long, ovate-shaped, and have round toothed margins (2,4). Additionally, the upper surface of the leaves has strong veins, while the lower surface is densely tomentellous (densely covered in woolly white hairs) (2,4). During the flower period of August to October, flowers are arranged irregularly in elongated 3-5 cm (1-2 in) clusters on axillary spikes (2,4). Each flower is tubular and white, approximately 2 mm (1/16 in) long, with 4-5 rounded lobes, with the upper 2 lobes slightly larger, and densely hirsute with gray hairs (2). The fruit is a tiny, brown, nut-like schizocarp composed of two thin-walled nutlets per flower, each less than 1.6mm (1/16 in), revealed when the calyx splits at maturity (1,2,4).
Compound:
Geographic Origin:
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Desert and Xeric Shrublands
Natural History:
Oreganillo is native to southwestern states of the United States (CA, UT, AZ, NM, TX, NV) and south of northern Mexico at elevations from 457-1829 m (1,500-6000 ft) (1,3). The shrub is typically found in rocky and gravelly slopes, ravines, depressions, ditches, and slopes often on limestone (2,4). In Arizona, oreganillo is most commonly found below the Mogollon Rim and in the Grand Canyon (2). The shrub is commonly found in Desert shrub, Interior Chaparral, and Pinyon Juniper Woodland plant communities (4). Oreganillo is highly attractive to nectar-feeding insects as well as granivorous (grain-feeding) birds when seeds are matured (4). Aloysia honors the Princess of Parma, Maria Louisa Teresa, and wrightii is named after Charles Wrighti, a world-wide botanical collector (3).
Cultivation Notes:
Oreganillo is a heat-tolerant shrub that can grow in a variety of conditions. The plant grows best with full sun and low moisture (4). While it's commonly found on limestone-based soil, the species also grows well on caliche, loamy, and sandy soil types (1). The shrub has been shown to thrive in the terrace rain garden zone, but can also tolerate the bottom and top rain garden zones (5). Oreganillo can be propagated through cuttings, division, and seeds (6).
Ethnobotany:
The Havasupai people traditionally boiled the twigs to make a tea, and there is historical evidence suggesting the plant was used to treat headaches, rheumatism, distemper, and gonorrhea (2,7). The fragrant leaves are still commonly used as a spice to replace the herb oregano, and it is commonly used in many Mexican or Indian cuisines (3). There are also reports that the honey is exceptionally tasty, which likely influenced the use of the plant’s common name beebush (2). The Verbenaceae family is well-known in folk medicine, and its species are used as digestive, carminative, antipyretic, antitussive, antiseptic, and healing agents. essential oils (8). This plant was once classified in the Lippia genus, noted for their production of essential oils containing monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes that confer antimicrobial properties (8). A study on Southern Arizona essential oils found that Oreganillo has a high content of terpenoid hydrocarbons, which contribute to the strong therapeutic aroma of this species (9).
Height:
0 - 5 feet
Width:
0 - 5 feet
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
Summer
Flower Season:
Fall
Color:
White
Function:
Habitat
Spread:
Spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Hardy
Water Use:
Low water Use
