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. Alt URL Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Satureja includes photos plus distribution maps for Europe + North America

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 (butterflies and moths). Caterpillars of the moth Coleophora bifrondella feed exclusively on winter savory (S. montana).

Savory may be grown purely for ornamental purposes; members of the genus need sun and well-drained soil.

Uses

Both summer savory (Satureja hortensis) and winter savory (Satureja montana) 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 . 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 (S. innota × S. montana) 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 (S. cuneifolia × S. intricata var. gracilis) Satureja edmondii Briq. – Iran Satureja × exspectata G.López – Spain (S. intricata var. gracilis × S. montana) 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 (Pau) 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 Satureja kitaibelii Wierzb. ex Heuff. – Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia Satureja laxiflora K.Koch – Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus Satureja linearifolia (Brullo & Furnari) 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 (S. horvatii × S. montana) 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 (Kuntze) P.W.Ball – Morocco, Spain Satureja spicigera (K.Koch) 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 (Avé-Lall.) Velen. – Turkey

Formerly in Satureja Browne's savory, Clinopodium brownei (as Satureja brownei) San Miguel Savory, Clinopodium chandleri (as Satureja chandleri) Large-flowered calamint, Clinopodium grandiflorum (as Satureja grandiflora) Stone mint, Cunila mariana (as Satureja origanoides) Satureja acinos (L.) Scheele = Clinopodium acinos (L.) Kuntze Satureja alpina (L.) Scheele = Clinopodium alpinum (L.) Kuntze Satureja biflora (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Benth = Micromeria biflora (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Benth Satureja gilliesii (Graham) Briq. = Clinopodium chilense (Benth.) Govaerts Satureja mexicana (Benth.) Briq. = Clinopodium mexicanum (Benth.) Govaerts Satureja multiflora (Ruiz & Pav.) Briq. – Chilean shrub mint = Clinopodium multiflorum (Ruiz & Pav.) Kuntze Satureja palmeri (A.Gray) Briq. (believed extinct; rediscovered 2001) = Clinopodium palmeri (A.Gray) Kuntze Satureja paradoxa (Vatke) Engl. ex Seybold = Clinopodium paradoxum (Vatke) Ryding Satureja robusta (Hook.f) Brenan = Clinopodium robustum (Hook.f) Ryding Satureja viminea L. – serpentine savory = Clinopodium vimineum (L.) Kuntze Satureja vulgaris (L.) Fritschl = Clinopodium vulgare L. Satureja vernayana Brenan = Clinopodium vernayanum (Brenan) Ryding Satureja douglasii (Benth.) Briq. – yerba buena (syn. S. chamissonis) = Micromeria douglasii Benth

Etymology

The etymology of the Latin word "satureia" is unclear. Speculation that it is related to saturare,F. E. J. Valpy, An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language, 1828, p. 542. to satyr, or to za'atar is not well supported. The ancient Hebrew name is Tzatrah צתרה.

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