Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosemary, רוזמרין רפואי
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance, pray, love, remember."
Scientific name:
Rosmarinus officinalis L.
Common name:
Rosemary
Hebrew name:
רוזמרין רפואי
Family:
Lamiaceae, שפתניים
Life form:
Shrub
Leaves:
Linear
Flowers:
Pale blue or lilac corolla
Flowering Period:
January, February, March, October, November, December
Habitat:
Mediterranean maquis and forest, Batha, Phrygana, Humid habitats
Distribution:
Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype
Mediterranean
Summer shedding:
Perenating
Derivation of the botanical name:
Rosmarinus, Latin ros, dew; marinus, of or pertaining to the sea, marine.
officinalis, officina, herb pharmacy; alias, of or pertaining to; sold as an herb; medicinal.
The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
Pliny: book XXIV.99-101:
There are two kinds of Rosemary; one is barren, and the other has a stalk and a resinous seed called cachrys. The leaves have a smell of frankincense. A local application of the fresh root heals wounds, prolapsus of the anus, condylomata, and haemorrhoids. The juice both of the shrub and of the root cures jaundice and such conditions as call for cleansing. It sharpens the eyesight. ...The herb itself is applied with vinegar to scrofulous sores, and with honey is good for a cough.
The ancient Egyptians used a dry shampoo containing rosemary for keeping their hair clean.
