Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
The name rosemary derives from the Latin 'ros marinus', meaning 'dew of the sea', a nod to its ability to thrive on coastal cliffs nourished mainly by ocean mist.
- Scientific name
- Salvia rosmarinus
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Lamiaceae › Salvia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry, rocky scrublands, coastal cliffs, slopes, and Mediterranean-climate gardens.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (utilizes sunlight, carbon dioxide, and mineral nutrients via photosynthesis).
- Range
- Mediterranean Basin, Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Cultivated globally
- Size
- 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6 feet) tall and wide
- Lifespan
- 10 to 20 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Coastal urbanization, land clearing, and extreme wildfires in its native Mediterranean range.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely touch, smell, or harvest wild rosemary. Ensure the plant has not been treated with pesticides before handling or consuming. No safe distance is required, but avoid damaging the woody root system of wild specimens.
Salvia rosmarinus , commonly known as rosemary , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name Rosmarinus officinalis , now a synonym.
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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