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Satureja

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Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to southern and southeastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Historically, Satureja was defined broadly and many species of the subtribe Menthinae from throughout the world were included in it. In the modern cladistic era of botany, Satureja was redefined to a narrower monophyletic genus whose species are all native to Eurasia.<ref name="doroszenko">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="cantino-wagstaff-1998">Template:Cite journal</ref> Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.<ref name=n>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Satureja includes photos plus distribution maps for Europe + North America</ref>

Description

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Satureja species may be annual or perennial. They are low-growing herbs and subshrubs, reaching heights of Template:Convert.

The leaves are Template:Convert long, with flowers forming in whorls on the stem, white to pale pink-violet.

Ecology and cultivation

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Satureja species are food plants for the larva of some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). Caterpillars of the moth Coleophora bifrondella feed exclusively on winter savory (S. montana).

Savory may be grown purely for ornamental purposes; members of the genus need sun and well-drained soil.

Uses

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File:Bonenkruid-spice.jpg
Dried summer savory leaves

Both summer savory (Satureja hortensis) and winter savory (Satureja montana) are used to flavor food. The former is preferred by cooks but as an annual is only available in summer; winter savory is an evergreen perennial.

Savory plays an important part in Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Bulgarian and Italian cuisine, particularly when cooking beans. It is also used to season the traditional Acadian stew known as Template:Lang. The modern spice mixture Herbes de Provence has savory as one of the principal ingredients.

In Azerbaijan, savory is often incorporated as a flavoring in black tea.

Species

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File:Satureja subspicata, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland, GB, IMG 3779 edit.jpg
Satureja subspicata

Source:<ref name=n/>

Formerly in Satureja

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Etymology

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The etymology of the Latin word "satureia" is unclear. Speculation that it is related to saturare,<ref name='valpy'>F. E. J. Valpy, An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language, 1828, p. 542.</ref> to satyr,<ref name='valpy'/> or to za'atar<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> is not well supported. The ancient Hebrew name is Tzatrah צתרה.

Notes

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Template:Herbs & spices Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control