Dittany of Crete  (Origanum dictamnus)

IUCN Red List species status – Near Threatened
Loading loading

Facts – Dittany of Crete

Also known as: Cretan dittany
KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderLamiales
FamilyLamiaceae
GenusOriganum (1)
SizeHeight: up to 30 cm (2)

Status – Dittany of Crete

Classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plant Species 1997 (1).

Description – Dittany of Crete

The dittany of Crete is widely used for food flavouring and medicinal purposes, in addition to it featuring as an ornamental plant in gardens (3). This small, lanate shrub is easily recognised by the distinctive soft, woolly covering of white-grey hair on its stems and round green leaves (4) (5), giving it a velvety texture (6). Tiny rose-pink flowers surrounded by brighter purple-pink bracts add an exuberant splash of colour to the plant in summer and autumn (7) (8).

Range – Dittany of Crete

Native to the mountains of Crete, Greece (6).

Habitat – Dittany of Crete

Shady rocks in dry places in high mountains (3).

Biology – Dittany of Crete

This deciduous (3), perennial plant blooms from June to August and sheds its leaves in winter (9). The flowers have both male and female reproductive organs and are pollinated by bees (9), which are attracted to the flowers by their bright colour and the plant’s aromatic fragrance (10).

Threats – Dittany of Crete

The dittany of Crete is frequently used for food flavouring, medicinal purposes and decoration (3). Although widely cultivated for these purposes, this plant is also taken from the wild. The exact extent of harvesting from the wild is unknown, but the species is thought to be threatened from over exploitation (11).

Conservation – Dittany of Crete

There are currently no conservation measures targeting this species.

Find out more – Dittany of Crete

For more information on the dittany of Crete see:

Herbnet
http://www.herbnet.com/DITTANY%20OF%20CRETE.pdf

Purdue University: Centre for New Crops and Plant Products:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/DITTANY_OF_CRETE.html

Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A. & Valentine, D.H. (1972) Flora Europaea: Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae v. 3. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Authentication

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk

Glossary

  • Bract: modified leaf at the base of a flower.
  • Deciduous: a plant that sheds its leaves at the end of the growing season.
  • Lanate: woolly covering of short dense hair.
  • Perennial: plants that live for at least three seasons; after an initial period they produce flowers once a year.

References

  1. Walter, K.S. and Gillett, H.J. (1998) 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. IUCN (The World Conservation Union), Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
  2. Desert-Tropicals.com (April, 2006)
    http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Lamiaceae/Origanum_dictamnus.html
  3. Permaculture Information web (April, 2006)
    http://permaculture.info/cgi-bin/eden?plant=4455
  4. Crimson sage Nursery: Medicinal Herb Plants Nursery (April, 2006)
    http://www.crimson-sage.com/shop/index.php?shop=1&itemid=100053
  5. Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A. and Valentine, D.H. (1972) Flora Europaea: Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae v. 3. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  6. Purdue University: Centre for New Crops and Plant Products (April, 2006)
    http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/DITTANY_OF_CRETE.html
  7. Mostly Natives Nursery (April, 2006)
    http://www.mostlynatives.com/notes/origanumdictamnus.htm
  8. Epic Plants (April, 2006)
    http://www.epicplants.com/tagView.asp?ProductIDTrunc=364-18
  9. Plants for a Future: Edible, medicinal and useful plants for a healthier world (April, 2006)
    http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Origanum+dictamnus
  10. Heywood, V.H. (1978) Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  11. Greece: Country Report to the FAO International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources (April, 2006)
    http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:BKLJqxSmBpIJ:www.fao.org/ag/agp/agps/Pgrfa/pdf/greece.pdf+Origanum+dictamnus+threat&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5
More

Related species

More

Related species by status

No related species found
More

Related species by group

Loading...
More

Related species by geography

More

Related species by habitat

What's new?

Boehmantis microtympanum

New images of the Endangered Angel’s Madagascar frog. More

Latest from the ARKive blogsubscribe to posts

Loading...
ARKive.org is the place for films, photos and facts about endangered species. Subscribe to our blog today to keep up to date!

To see the latest posts from ARKive please visit http://blog.arkive.org or enable javascript.

Image credit

Dittany of Crete flowers
Dittany of Crete flowers

© Julia Jones

Julia Jones
Albion House
Odos Filellinon
Pano Elounda 72053
Crete
Greece
Tel: +30 (00) 28410 42177
julia@flowersofcrete.info
http://www.flowersofcrete.info

Link to this photo

ARKive species - Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus) Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.

Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. Portlets may NOT be used within Apps.

MyARKive

MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.