Strength and beauty – this is the correct description for rosemary, an aromatic evergreen shrub which is both beautiful (when its flowers are in bloom) and sturdy (able to survive droughts and survive even a severe lack of water for lengthy periods).
Rosemary is a name derived from Latin ros marinus that means dew of the sea because this plant thrives best when growing near the sea. This plant is also called anthos, the Greek word for flower.
The 5000 BC cuneiform stone tables made mention of rosemary. Ancient Egyptians use rosemary in burial rituals. Rosemary was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in The Natural History as well as the Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides in his work De Materia Medica, which is one of the most influential herbal books in history discussing the uses of rosemary, among others.
You can use the twigs, leaves, and flowering apices of rosemary. Use the leaves for flavoring food. The flower is a good source of nectar for bees. Decorate your lot by planting rosemary – a holiday pot plant during the Christmas season. Without a doubt, rosemary has many positive qualities. However, it also has an undesirable quality: it is an invasive species in some parts of the world.
Classification Information:
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Salvia
Species: S. rosmarinus
Binomial Name: Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary Trivia
- Burning rosemary inside the room helps kill germs and disinfect the room.
- Rosemary brings newlywed couples good luck. This is why newlyweds are given baskets of rosemary as gifts.
- Putting rosemary under the pillow is an ancient folk practice meant to attract a love interest.
- Ancient Romans used rosemary to aromatize wines