Rosemary substitute

On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It is a member of the rosemary substitute family Lamiaceae, which includes many other medicinal and culinary herbs. Rosemary has a fibrous root system. Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub with leaves similar to hemlock needles.

It is native to the Mediterranean and Asia, but is reasonably hardy in cool climates. It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods. Salvia rosmarinus is now considered one of many hundreds of species in the genus Salvia. Formerly it was placed in a much smaller genus, Rosmarinus, which contained only two to four species including R. Both the original and current genus names of the species were applied by the 18th-century naturalist and founding taxonomist Carl Linnaeus.

The first mention of rosemary is found on cuneiform stone tablets as early as 5000 BCE. After that not much is known, except that Egyptians used it in their burial rituals. There is no further mention of rosemary until the ancient Greeks and Romans. The herb then made its way east to China and was naturalized there as early as 220 CE, during the late Han Dynasty. Romans probably brought it when they invaded in the first century, but there are no viable records about rosemary arriving in Britain until the 8th century CE. This was credited to Charlemagne, who promoted herbs in general, and ordered rosemary to be grown in monastic gardens and farms.

There are also no records of rosemary being properly naturalized in Britain until 1338, when cuttings were sent to Queen Philippa by her mother, Countess Joan of Hainault. It included a letter that described the virtues of rosemary and other herbs that accompanied the gift. Rosemary finally arrived in the Americas with early European settlers in the beginning of the 17th century. It soon was spread to South America and global distribution. Upon cultivation, the leaves, twigs, and flowering apices are extracted for use.

Rosemary is used as a decorative plant in gardens. The leaves are used to flavor various foods, such as stuffing and roast meats. Since it is attractive and drought-tolerant, rosemary is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and for xeriscape landscaping, especially in regions of Mediterranean climate. It is considered easy to grow and pest-resistant. Rosemary grows on loam soil with good drainage in an open, sunny position.