Rosmarinus ( ) is a small taxonomic clade of woody,

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

s with fragrant

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

needle-like leaves in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

, native to the Mediterranean Basin. In 2017 the species in the genus ''Rosmarinus'' were moved into the large genus ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with just under 1,000 species of shrubs, Herbaceous plant, herbaceous Perennial plant, perennials, and Annual plant, annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part o ...

'' based on taxonomic evidence. Thus ''Rosmarinus'' is no longer a genus, but still a monophyletic clade of species within ''Salvia''.

Description

'' Salvia rosmarinus'' (rosemary), widespread in the Mediterranean region, and '' Salvia jordanii'' (formerly ''Rosmarinus eriocalyx''), native to northwest Africa and southern Spain have long been widely recognized. '' Salvia granatensis'' (formerly ''Rosmarinus tomentosus'') was first recognized as a separate species in 1941. '' Rosmarinus palaui'' was first described as a species in 2002, although recognition of this species remains controversial. Recent research has indicated that while ''S. granatensis'' forms a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group, this group is nested within a

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

''S. jordanii''. ''Salvia jordanii'' differs from the well-known herb rosemary in its smaller

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, only long and less than broad, and densely hairy flower stems. It also tends to be lower-growing, often under tall and prostrate, and never exceeding tall (''S. rosmarinus'' can reach , exceptionally , tall). Rosemary can be propagated from seed or cuttings in summer, and can be spread by carelessly discarding garden waste.

Species

;Species and

nothospecies #REDIRECT Hybrid name In botanical nomenclature, a hybrid may be given a hybrid name, which is a special kind of botanical name, but there is no requirement that a hybrid name should be created for plants that are believed to be of hybrid origin. ...

accepted by the Kew World ChecklistKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Natural hybrids

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Lamiaceae genera Flora of Macaronesia Flora of North Africa Medicinal plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Medicinal plants of Africa Medicinal plants of Europe Garden plants of Africa Garden plants of Europe Salvia