Lippia origanoides

        

Lippia origanoides ( ) ( )

Lippia palmeri

Verbenaceae

  • This shrub has thin, brittle stems and small leaves with deeply incised veins. The drought deciduous foliage appears after each soaking rain. Flowering may occur several times per year. It is common in the desert throughout most of the region, including Tiburon and San Esteban islands. Food: the dried, crushed leaves were used to flavor meat and fish. The flavor was similar to that of commercial oregano, although somewhat stronger. Ideally the leaves were collected after a heavy rain. for then the plant has tender foliage. When the shrub was in flower the leaves were sometimes not collected because they were said to be too strong. If harvested when in flower, then the small cone-like flower spikes were removed because of their bitter taste. It continued to be a much-used spice in the 1980s. Large bundles of the leafy branches were often sorted on the roof tops. When out in the desert, the people carried small cloth bags or bundles of the dried leaves mixed with salt, ready for flavoring meat. When drying met, such as jerky, the crushed leaves could be used as a substitute for salt. Food Gathering: the spike of the fruit gathering pole for pitaya usually was made from wood of this plant or Larrea tridentata. Medicine: to cure dizziness, the head was washed with an infusion made from the fruit and leaves put in boiling water. The leaves were used to kill head lice. "People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians".

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