Mexican oregano ( Lippia graveolens)

[Pam]

I enjoy growing herbs as well as peppers and tomatoes. A few years ago, I was reading an article on oregano that mentioned Mexican oregano. I googled it, and found another article that when a recipe for a Mexican dish called for oregano, it should be Mexican oregano, not Greek oregano. So, some more research, and I found that there is apparently more than one herb called oregano used in Mexican cooking, and some ornamental ones used in gardens in Texas.

However, Lippia graveolens was the one most mentioned as a culinary herb and the one I could find on-line. It's a tender perennial, tender enough not to survive outside in my zone 8 yard, so I brought one inside this past winter. I've never been able to collect any seeds on it, but it is pretty easy to root off green stems. The plant is a lanky, mostly stem

It has a strong, almost sage-y sort of scent. I've been using it my salsas and pico de galo sauces, and I have to admit that I can't taste a huge difference. I have also used it in a few non-Mexican chicken dishes, and it is pretty tasty in them. So, I'm wondering if I'm using it correctly in the Mexican dishes.

One of the articles I read mentioned that it was better dried than fresh, so I have some drying. Another mentioned that it compliments and enhances cilantro, so maybe my expectations of being able to taste it as a distinct note in a pepper dish is unrealistic.

Anyway, I wondered if anyone else was growing and using it, and what you thought.

 

[chilehunter]

I dont grow oregano, I'm satisfied with the normal italian version I can get at the store. but I do grow other herbs.

wouldnt it be nice to have a herb section, uh ?

 

[habman]

Mexican oregano is a general name for several plants, all of which have a strong oregano flavor: Poliomintha longiflora, Lippia graveolens, and Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia. These are probably the most common but there are others.

You should try Poliomintha longiflora, it is used in traditional Mexican and Southwest recipes. Its flavor is a bit stronger than Italian oregano.

You won't get any seeds from Lippia graveolens. Not sure why.

The Poliominthas are subshrubs which grow about three feet tall and are only native to the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.
By contrast, Lippia graveolens ranges in height from 3/1/2 to nine feet and is native to Texas and Mexico. In Mexico, it is sometimes called "Oregano cimarron."

 

[POTAWIE]

I grow Lippia graveolens and use it mostly in stews and chilis.

 

[setzuanfire]

That stuff is great, it's all I use anymore for oregano. Very pungent! It's really cheap at an international grocer near us, so I haven't tried growing it yet. Start from cuttings?
b

 

[Pam]

You should try Poliomintha longiflora,

Got any? When I was looking around for Mexican Oreganos, _Poliomintha longiflora_ was mentioned seveeral times, but I couldn't find a source for it. As I said, the reason I went with the _Lippa graveolens_ was that I found an on-line nursery that carried it. That and the fact that there was a lot of contradictory information about which ones were herbs and which ones were ornamentals, but I found some clear information on the _Lippa graveolens_.

You won't get any seeds from Lippia graveolens. Not sure why.

The flowers are teeny tiny, so you would really have to know what you were looking for to find the seeds.

 

[Pam]

That stuff is great, it's all I use anymore for oregano. Very pungent! It's really cheap at an international grocer near us, so I haven't tried growing it yet. Start from cuttings?
b

Cuttings are the only success I've had in propagating it. Want one? I've got a couple that I've never gotten around to transplanting this year. They're pretty pot bound, but they don't look unhealthy.

I grow Lippia graveolens and use it mostly in stews and chilis.

Yeah, it probably would be good in stews. About how much do you use?

 

[habman]

Got any?

Sorry not growing it.
Tried to search but found no plants or seeds online for Poliomintha longiflora.

 

[Pam]

Sorry not growing it.
Tried to search but found no plants or seeds online for Poliomintha longiflora.

See, this is the frustrating thing. We can read about tasty stuff like the Poliomintha, but getting it to try is a real bitch. I found a couple of wholesalers in California who had it, but they don't sell to retail customers, and they only sell to California nurseries.

 

[darthcarl]

I use mexican oregano in my cooking which is heavily southwestern bent. I buy it dried an the local mexican grocery. No idea what plant it is. The volume is about the same that you might use with italian or greek oregano. The flavor is to southwestern what curry is to indian.

 

[Vodu]

I realize this thread is older than Christmas...and not even in the right category, but does anyone know where to get seeds for Mexican Oregano?  Online proves futile and my local nurseries are clueless...
 
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Nigel]

I have this one, which is sometimes known as Cuban Oregano. Very different plant
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus_amboinicus

Lippia graveolans can be bought here,
 
http://www.colonialcreekfarm.com/Mexican-Oregano_p_232.html

 

[willard3]

I buy mine dried from :
 
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysoregano.html
 
If you're making stuff that uses cilantro/cumin, Mexican oregano is much better than Medeterranian. I use it ,mostly in salsa fresca and ceviches..

 

[Vodu]

Thanks guys, I can get dried, but it gets expensive, I use it in all  my salsas.
 
I will check out the link for live plants, as I prefer to grow my own...
 
 
 

I have this one, which is sometimes known as Cuban Oregano. Very different plant
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus_amboinicus

Lippia graveolans can be bought here,
 
http://www.colonialcreekfarm.com/Mexican-Oregano_p_232.html

 
 

I buy mine dried from :
 
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysoregano.html
 
If you're making stuff that uses cilantro/cumin, Mexican oregano is much better than Medeterranian. I use it ,mostly in salsa fresca and ceviches..