Origanum Dictamnus. Dittany Of Crete.
Class and Order.
Didynamia Gymnospermia.
Generic Character.
Strobilus tetragonus, spicatus, calyces colligens.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
ORIGANUM Dictamnus foliis inferioribus tomentosis, spicis nutantibus. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 541. Ait. Kew. v. 2 p. 311. Dittany of Candia.
DICTAMNUS creticus. Bauh. Pin. p. 222.
By the name of Dittany of Crete, the species of Origanum here figured, has long been known in this country as a medicinal plant; to the purposes of physic it still indeed continues to be applied, as imported in a dried state from the Levant: when bruised, the whole plant gives forth an aromatic fragrance, highly grateful; as an ornamental plant, it has also been long, and is now, very generally cultivated in this country. Turner, whose Herbal was printed in 1568, writes thus concerning it, "I have sene it growynge in England in Maister Riches gardin naturally, but it groweth no where ellis that I know of, saving only in Candy." As at this period no idea was entertained of a greenhouse, the plant must have been cultivated in the open ground, where it would doubtless grow readily, if secured from the severity of the weather, it being more hardy than many plants usually kept in greenhouses.