Culinary Herbs by Plant Family: Mint, Carrot and Daisy Kin

Rosemary, botanically Salvia rosmarinus, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and a mint family member native to the Mediterranean region. Its leaves are the part commonly used as a culinary flavoring.

Thyme is a mint family herb made of the dried aerial parts of certain Thymus species, native to Mediterranean countries in North Africa, the Levant and Southern Europe. Thymus vulgaris, native to Southeast Europe, is the species most commonly cultivated for cooking.

Oregano, sometimes called wild marjoram, is a woody perennial of the mint family that grows up to 90 centimeters tall. It is used as a culinary herb alongside its close relative sweet marjoram.

Basil is a mint family herb native to tropical regions from Central Africa to Southeast Asia, used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cooking the word usually means the Genovese or sweet basil, and the page also names Thai basil and lemon-scented cultivars.

Mint is the genus Mentha, estimated at 18 to 24 species, within the mint family. The page notes that natural hybridization blurs the species boundaries, and that the plants grow best in wet environments and moist soils.

Dill leaves the mint family behind: it is an annual herb of the celery family, native to North Africa and West Asia. Its leaves and seeds are both used for flavoring, and the page records its earliest use around 1400 BC, citing a find in an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb.

Fennel is a hardy perennial of the carrot family with yellow flowers and feathery leaves, native to Mediterranean shores. Along with anise it is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe, and the Florence selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base is grown as a vegetable.

Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, closes the path as a perennial herb of the daisy family. French tarragon is the preferred culinary variety and rarely sets seed, so it is propagated by root division, unlike the less flavorful Russian tarragon.