Satureja
Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to southern and southeastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Historically, Satureja was defined broadly and many species of the subtribe Menthinae from throughout the world were included in it. In the modern cladistic era of botany, Satureja was redefined to a narrower monophyletic genus whose species are all native to Eurasia. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.
Description
Satureja species may be annual or perennial. They are low-growing herbs and subshrubs, reaching heights of.The leaves are long, with flowers forming in whorls on the stem, white to pale pink-violet.
Ecology and cultivation
Satureja species are food plants for the larva of some Lepidoptera. Caterpillars of the moth Coleophora bifrondella feed exclusively on winter savory.Savory may be grown purely for ornamental purposes; members of the genus need sun and well-drained soil.
Uses
Both summer savory and winter savory are used to flavor food. The former is preferred by cooks but as an annual is only available in summer; winter savory is an evergreen perennial.Savory plays an important part in Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Bulgarian and Italian cuisine, particularly when cooking beans. It is also used to season the traditional Acadian stew known as fricot. The modern spice mixture Herbes de Provence has savory as one of the principal ingredients.
In Azerbaijan, savory is often incorporated as a flavoring in black tea.
Species
Source:- Satureja adamovicii Šilic – Balkans
- Satureja aintabensis P.H.Davis – Turkey
- Satureja amani P.H.Davis – Turkey
- Satureja atropatana Bunge – Iran
- Satureja avromanica Maroofi – Iran
- Satureja bachtiarica Bunge – Iran
- Satureja boissieri Hausskn. ex Boiss. – Turkey, Iran
- Satureja bzybica Woronow – Caucasus
- Satureja × caroli-paui G.López – Spain '
- Satureja cilicica P.H.Davis – Turkey
- Satureja coerulea Janka – Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey
- Satureja cuneifolia Ten – Spain, Italy, Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Iraq
- Satureja × delpozoi Sánchez-Gómez, J.F.Jiménez & R.Morales – Spain '
- Satureja edmondii Briq. – Iran
- * A recent study found the essential oils of Satureja edmondii have antimicrobial properties and can protect food from S. aureus. The test was conducted on commercial soup products.
- Satureja × exspectata G.López – Spain '
- Satureja fukarekii Šilic – Yugoslavia
- Satureja hellenica Halácsy – Greece
- Satureja hortensis L. – summer savory – Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, Crimea, Caucasus, Altai Republic, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, western Himalayas; naturalized in western Mediterranean, Persian Gulf sheikdoms, Cuba, Dominican Republic, scattered locations in United States
- * The heterogeneous mixture of the Satureja hortensis L. essential oil in water serves as a natural herbicide. The addition of this mixture inhibits the root elongation of weeds which reduces the weed's root-to-shoot ratio. This further reduces the weed's cell division and inhibits its germination, growth, and physiological processes.
- Satureja horvatii Šilic – Greece, Yugoslavia
- Satureja icarica P.H.Davis – Greek Islands
- Satureja innota Font Quer – Spain
- Satureja intermedia C.A.Mey. – Iran, Caucasus
- Satureja intricata Lange – Spain
- Satureja isophylla Rech.f. – Iran
- Satureja kallarica Jamzad – Iran
- Satureja kermanshahensis Jamzad – Iran
- Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad – Iran
- *Essential oils of Satureja khuzistanica have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which can be useful in medical treatments. A recent study found that higher concentrations of essential oils of Satureja khuzistanica helped reduce adverse effects of traumatic brain injuries in rats.
- Satureja kitaibelii Wierzb. ex Heuff. – Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia
- Satureja laxiflora K.Koch – Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus
- Satureja linearifolia Greuter – Cyrenaica region of Libya
- Satureja macrantha C.A.Mey. – Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus
- Satureja metastasiantha Rech.f. – Iraq
- Satureja montana L. – winter savory – southern Europe, Turkey, Syria
- Satureja mutica Fisch. & C.A.Mey. – Caucasus, Iran, Turkmenistan
- Satureja nabateorum Danin & Hedge – Jordan
- Satureja × orjenii Šilic – Yugoslavia '
- Satureja pallaryi J.Thiébaut – Syria
- Satureja parnassica Heldr. & Sart. ex Boiss. – Greece, Turkey
- Satureja pilosa Velen. – Italy, Greece, Bulgaria
- Satureja rumelica Velen. – Bulgaria
- Satureja sahendica Bornm. – Iran
- Satureja salzmannii P.W.Ball – Morocco, Spain
- Satureja spicigera Boiss. – Turkey, Iran, Caucasus
- Satureja spinosa L. – Turkey, Greek Islands including Crete
- Satureja subspicata Bartl. ex Vis. – Austria, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Italy
- Satureja taurica Velen. – Crimea
- Satureja thymbra L. – Libya, southeastern Europe from Sardinia to Turkey; Cyprus, Lebanon, Palestine
- Satureja thymbrifolia Hedge & Feinbrun – Israel-Palestine, Saudi Arabia
- Satureja visianii Šilic. – Yugoslavia
- Satureja wiedemanniana Velen. – Turkey
Formerly in ''Satureja''
- Browne's savory, Clinopodium brownei
- San Miguel Savory, Clinopodium chandleri
- Large-flowered calamint, Clinopodium grandiflorum
- Stone mint, Cunila mariana
- Satureja acinos Scheele = Clinopodium acinos Kuntze
- Satureja alpina Scheele = Clinopodium alpinum Kuntze
- Satureja biflora Benth = Micromeria biflora Benth
- Satureja gilliesii Briq. = Clinopodium chilense Govaerts
- Satureja mexicana Briq. = Clinopodium mexicanum Govaerts
- Satureja multiflora Briq. – Chilean shrub mint = Clinopodium multiflorum Kuntze
- Satureja palmeri Briq. = Clinopodium palmeri Kuntze
- Satureja paradoxa Engl. ex Seybold = Clinopodium paradoxum Ryding
- Satureja robusta Brenan = Clinopodium robustum Ryding
- Satureja viminea L. – serpentine savory = Clinopodium vimineum Kuntze
- Satureja vulgaris Fritschl = Clinopodium vulgare L.
- Satureja vernayana Brenan = Clinopodium vernayanum Ryding
- Satureja douglasii Briq. – yerba buena = Micromeria douglasii Benth
Etymology