Rosemary Facts

Rosemary Facts
Rosemary is a plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. This plant is native to the Mediterranean coast. Rosemary grows on dry and sandy soils, with enough sunlight during the day. It does not tolerate extremely low temperatures, excessive rainfalls and high humidity. Rosemary is closely related to lavender, oregano and basil and just like them - it is often used as spice. Rosemary can be used for the preparation of salty and sweet dishes. Besides for cooking, rosemary is widely used in cosmetics and medicine. Rosemary is often cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Interesting Rosemary Facts:
Rosemary grows as evergreen bush that can reach 2 to 6 feet in height.
Rosemary has needle-like evergreen leaves that are usually 0.8 to 1.6 inches long. Upper side of leaves is darker green in color. Lower side is grayish in color and it is covered with tiny hairs.
Rosemary produces white, purple, pink or blue flowers. Flowering depends on the climate. Rosemary that is living in temperate climates blossoms during spring and summer. Rosemary that grows in warm climate produces flowers all year round.
Name "rosemary" is derived from Latin words "ros" and "marinus", which mean "dew of the sea". It refers to the coastal region that is occupied by this plant.
Rosemary is mostly used as spice. It can be used both fresh and dried. People often add rosemary to dishes made of lamb, pork and chicken. It is also used in the preparation of jellies, jams and cookies. Rosemary is especially popular ingredient of Italian cuisine. Dried rosemary can be consumed as tea.
Rosemary is rich in essential oil that has intense aroma. Because of that, rosemary is often used in aromatherapy and in the preparation of various lotions in cosmetic industry.
Oil extracted from rosemary can induce poisoning when used in higher dose.
Rosemary is often used in folk medicine to enhance memory, to treat rheumatism, bruises, sores…
During the 16th century, people used burned rosemary to disinfect rooms (to eliminate germs).
Rosemary is sometimes used in the funeral rituals. Putting rosemary into the hands of deceased and scattering of rosemary on the grave symbolize remembrance.
Rosemary can reproduce either from the seeds or cuttings.
People often cultivate rosemary because it does not require special care and because it can be trimmed to grow in various shapes. Rosemary attracts bees and facilitates pollination of other plants in the garden.
Rosemary tolerates prolonged periods of drought. It cannot withstand overwatering because it leads to rotting of the root.

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