PlantFiles: Spanish Thyme, Cuban Oregano, Indian Borage
Plectranthus amboinicus

Hello! I live in a very dry part of Canada - the prairie province of Saskatchewan. I sent my students to the floral conservatory two years ago and they brought me back a plant of cuban oregano. It was thriving in my parents' west window, and I took a cutting to my own place. But it is not doing well. It is alive and has green leaves, but only on the very tops of the branches. There is about an inch of leaves on each branch right at the top, and a lot of little dry leaves along the branches.

What am I doing wrong? It is in a North window. Does it need more sun? My only window in another direction faces west, but with an alley and then a taller apt building. More water? I water it about once a week and it seems fine, though like I say, not thriving. I talk to it sometimes.

Any advice? Thanks! Rachel OneLove

The variegated and green varieties are also grown in Sri Lanka and is called Kapparawalliya. As far as I know they are not used for cooking, but only as medicine and/or decorative garden plants. It is used for stomach complaints and fevers.
In India it is called Doddapattre and is used as a cold and stomach complaint medicine. It is also used in cooking as part of a Tambuli yoghurt sauce. (See http://nsushma.blogspot.com/2010/02/doddapatre-tambuli-coleu...)
Two other similar and interesting plants of the Plectranthus family are also grown in Sri Lanka:
1. Plectranthus zeylanicus, called Iriweriya, which has a delightful, strong and unique sweet lemon scent and is used to treat colds and stomach complaints. It is slightly larger than the Cuban Oregano and has a similar growing habit. Whenever one touches or brushes against the leaves the whole surrounding will be pervaded by their fragrance.
2. Coleus malabaricus, called Aet-Iriweriya, which has a deep somewhat rosemary-oregano like scent, and is used for stomach complaints. This plant is more bushy and can grow almost a meter high.
Although all these three plants grow very well in Sri Lanka, I have never seen any of them flowering and wonder what would make them do so.

When I was growing up this was a favourite cough remedy. The plant grows very easily, and to this day my grandmother prefers this to any store-bought cough medication.

Grows great in the window in New York. The main use of this plant is as a marinade called "green seasoning" in Trinidad. Use one leaf with a couple Tbs each of culantro (recao/shado beni), parsley, scallion, chive, garlic, onion, scotch bonnet pepper or "aji dulce"/sweet pimento pepper, salt and powdered ginger. Use for chicken or shrimp marinade, it's sort of the Trini version of sofrito.

I just love this stuff. It smells great, it grows really well. I have them in 2 different pots mixed with some coleus. One of them is out in the open and got covered in the freak snow we had last week. It doesn't look so good. The one in a more sheltered area looks fine.

As an indoor landscaper, I am often called upon as a plant ID consultant in the offices where I water their corporate plants. I got some cuttings of this last Thursday when this guy asked me "I got this as a gift in a little pot six months ago. I had to repot it. What is it?" It, growing up and out of the pot and covering the small table he had it on completely and growing down the sides, was Cuban Oregano. When I pruned it back for him I took a couple of cuttings, which have since rooted, and I promised to ID it for him. All I could tell him was it was a member of the mint family, which it is. Now thanks to you all, I have the ID. The scent and flavor of this are like turpentine. I had an intrepid plant friend taste it for me. He didn't die, but I don't know if it is truly an edible variety or not. It would appear to be a houseplant here in MA but a rapidly growing, minty houseplant.
Martha

My neighbor introduced me to this plant, however she calls it Spanish Thyme, I lost mine due to the short frost this year (2 days), I looked everywhere for it, I thought I found it in Walmart, but even though they called it cuban oregano, it has a camphor smell to it...I can't bring myself to try it. I ended up finding the same varigated one I had before in a nursery here locally. My neighbor also bought back the plain green one for me from a trip so I plan to root those cuttings. I love putting it in home made spaghetti sauce. My favorite herb.

I have my current plant for about 10 years now. Mind you, not the exact same original roots... but over the years, a rooting from the same plant. I cannot kill it. I have left it without water for well over a month (don't hate me for it) and it has been drowning for a while as well. It grows quickly and well, just leave the leaf on the soil or stick cuttings in dirt and forget them. It does not need any attention. None. Now I keep it on my porch where it will get the occasional rain and/or sprinkler action. I even water it at least once a week now. This plant always looks good. Nice fleshy leaves on good stems. Keep it as a trailing plant in a basket or pinch regularly for bushy looks. It keeps like a spider plant would inside, you can't kill it. I keep it outside as the smell can be irritating when I have a migraine. I use it for cooking once in a while but I do chop up the leaves well. I like the idea of using it in a tea ball. One day, when I trim it next (it does get leggy), I will plop a few sprigs in the landscape and let it be. Tasty and pretty and tough. Enjoy yours!

A neighbour gave me a few stalks of this and told me it was called "Herb Geranium" - of course I could find no such thing. My mother in law said Queen of All Herbs or Allspice (which is something totally different)! A lot of research finally brought me here. In any case, I cut the stalks into several smaller pieces and potted them all, and they all took off. I just recently planted several around my clothesline, I love brushing past and having the scent waft up into my laundry! :)

It grows well outdoors in summer here in MI. I had a potted one which thrived for a while. In India they run wild like mint once in the ground. It is used for medicinal purposes in India -as a remedy for cough. I know I have. I am also told it is very good for skin related problems as well.
I plant that I had dried up completely in the pot and was dead. I pruned it all the way such that only a woody hollow stump remained. It stayed that way thru winter and in late spring or summer I notice it had a couple of little plants coming from under the soil.

I've been growing this plant for many years, and have used it whenever I've needed something flexible and not in need of any care. It does well in dry soil, moist soil, or water (but not soggy soil). It does well in shade, partial shade, or mostly sunny areas. I grow it fine in the acidity of peat (in terrariums), and it's just as happy in our unusually alkaline limestone soils. Since frost is not a problem in my area, the plants usually live for several years (I've read two years is expected, but I have several that are 4-5 years old by now). Also, I can't think of an easier plant to propagate!

In Cuba, it's just called "oregano." The taste isn't very oregano-y and the two plants wouldn't be easily confused for eachother, but I guess there is a similarity. This plant is extremely fragrant and a little goes a long way. .

Well I am from Trinidad and now live in Europe I have grown up knowing this plant as Broad leaf Thyme, and also Spanish Thyme. It is a hardy tropical plant that spreads like SARS like Bird flu lol, but since moving to Europe I have been banging my head for it. I just now called a friend who is from Trinidad who happens to live in this part of the world and he declared to me HE HAS so many of this plant that he will be throwing it away. Well tomorrow Saturday October 21, 2006 I will be the proud owner of a cople of the plants which has been potted. Thank God, I have been wanting this plant for over 10 years now. It is a wonderful plant and the scent alone is soothing, I always found herbs to be quite soothing. I intend to plant this plant n Large pots and cultivate it and in spring and summer/fall put them out on balcony baskets mixed with a Geranium or two. In any event Intend to use it once more in my cooking. I would be curious to know how to extract its essential oil? The one I will get is purely green and dark, the one my mom hopes to bring for me is blueishgreen with red stems, both are equally as wonderful. Thanks.

Growing up in the Florida Keys, Cuban Oregano has always had a place in our sunny kitchen window, and we used it regularly in all sorts of dishes - it's a great fresh herb to keep handy. My father gave me some cuttings, and now it grows just fine in my kitchen window in Colorado. Every summer I put cuttings outside and start new plants (grows like crazy), which I give to friends in the fall - the plants won't tolerate frost. My parents also grow it outdoors year round in Florida, under trees as ground cover, and in full sun. I've seen leggy stems get up to 5' long! The variety with white around the edges of the leances is very pretty also. My mother bought some in FL at a Home Depot, but I have still been unable to find any type of Cuban Oragano sold anywhere in CO, but I'll keep looking and hoping...

I see no one from the northern reaches has yet reported on this one, so I'm happy to be the first. I picked up a 4" pot of this 'Cuban Oregano' at a local garden center last summer and planted it in my herb garden. I knew it wouldn't be perennial here, but I thought it would be worth trying as a annual. It was surprising to see an oregano whose leaves were succulent. Perhaps they remained that way because of the cooler climate here. It has a lovely, mild taste and fragrance, and I used it in poultry dishes, salads and pasta sauces Although it didn't spread much, it grew well enough to provide plenty of leaves to use during the summer, and I happened to discover that it's a great capsaicin neutralizer- if you eat a pepper that burns, go munch on some cuban oregano. I tried to bring it in for overwintering, but it didn't work.

i love the smell and tha rate it grows.

I have been growing these plants for several years now. They are extremely easy to grow. To propogate, start with plant and cut just above next joint and put stem in rooting medium or start with a leaf; or just lay stem on ground. Likes soil moist during rooting time. Leaves can be anywhere from 1" to 6" across. Plant likes moist soil, does not like sand too well, but will grow, just not as well. Will also root in water. Plant can grow up to 3' tall. They like the sun for more compact plant. You can tell if not enough sun as plant gets real leggy.

Cuban Oregano has varigated leaf. Both plants are thick leaved, but dry real well with a plant dryer - do not oven dry as the flavor weakens.

Both herbs can be used (fresh or dried) in tomato based sauces (for use on any type of meat), or if ground fine - use in egg, macaroni, potato salads, fresh cut leaves can also be used (if cut fine) in tossed salads.

I am now using this as a ground cover.
I planted a small bit of it in all day direct Hawaiian sun a couple years ago, never watered or paid attention to it and it has been spreading happily since through rain or through drought.
When I need ground cover elsewhere I grab a couple bits and stick it in the ground where it happily takes off again.

I know this plant as Cuban or even Caribbean oregano.
We have grown this plant in shade and in full sun. Our climate is quite (normally) rainy and our ground is usually wet unless we are having unusual drought. It seems to not be bothered either way.

We propagate by trimming it when it gets scraggly and just sticking the trimmed parts in the ground. It is not unusual to have a fallen leaf take root where it fell and start new plants.

An interesting characteristic...our mosquitoes don't like it. Since I'm a magnet for mosquitoes when working in the yard, I crush some of the leaves and rub them on my exposed areas....it does not work for long, but it works.
I tried distilling some of the plant's oil to rub on. We also made some homemade oatmeal soap and added the oil and some of the leaves after processing in my blender. Nice aroma. Would make a great gardener's soap.

Since the leaves are tough and hard to digest, I usually crush them and place in a large mesh tea ball when cooking with it - mostly in stews and pasta sauces - then I can just fish it out when I need to.

I needed an interesting plant to fill my pation pots and this was what I found. I had never seen this plant before and it was a total contrast to the things I had already planted. It took about a week for the roots o catch hold and it just took off. Next year I think I'll try it in a hanging pot. I also rooted a peice and tried it in my reg garden. It did not do quite as well but I have done some research and I believe it was a little to damp. It grows better when it is better drained. The longest branch of this plant I had was around 4 and a half feet. I took that branch off and cut it into 5 peices and started them rooting in a vase of water in a window that gets the morning sun and not much else and the silly things are growing lik crazy too. I wanted to make sure I would have peices for next spring when it gets warm enough. I do not know if it will come back next year from the articles i have read it will not. A very rwarding plant.
2005
I have placed my cuttings into a hanging pot I hope to have some new pics by the end of the fall. I am going to try and get some of the seeds also.

Good for pot and hanging basket. Although it always described as a plant for full sun, my plant keeps well indoor near a window with 2 hours sun through glasses.
Pick growing tips regularly to produce side shoots to maintain a better shape.

This is known as Big Thyme on the island of Grenada in the West Indies. A favourite thyme-flavoured herb used regularly in cooking, especially meat stews. Easy to grow from cuttings started in a glass of water, like mint.