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Satureja montana - L.

Winter Savory

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Labiatae	Genus	Satureja
Synonyms	Satureja illyrica - Nyman.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S. Europe to N. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Habitat	Old walls, dry banks and rocks on hillsides, usually on calcareous soils[17, 100].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Shrub growing to 0.4m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats

Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds; East Wall In; South Wall In; West Wall In;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 9, 20, 34, 37, 52]. A peppery flavour, they are used mainly as a flavouring for cooked foods, especially beans, and also as a garnish for salads etc[183]. They have a stronger, sharper flavour than summer savory (S. hortensis)[183]. The leaves can be used fresh or dried[183]. A herb tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[183]. The leaves are harvested just before the plant comes into flower[183]. A tangy, marjoram-like flavour[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiseptic; Aromatic; Carminative; Digestive; Expectorant; Stings; Stomachic.

Winter savory is most often used as a culinary herb, but it also has marked medicinal benefits, especially upon the whole digestive system[254]. The plant has a stronger action than the closely related summer savory, S. hortensis[254]. The whole herb, and especially the flowering shoots, is mildly antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, mildly expectorant and stomachic[4, 7, 9, 14, 21]. Taken internally, it is said to be a sovereign remedy for colic and a cure for flatulence[4], whilst it is also used to treat gastro-enteritis, cystitis, nausea, diarrhoea, bronchial congestion, sore throat and menstrual disorders[9, 238]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. A sprig of the plant, rubbed onto bee or wasp stings, brings instant relief[4, K]. The plant is harvested in the summer when in flower and can be used fresh or dried[238]. The essential oil forms an ingredient in lotions for the scalp in cases of incipient baldness[7]. An ointment made from the plant is used externally to relieve arthritic joints[7].

Other Uses

Essential; Ground cover; Repellent.

The growing plant repels insects[18, 20, 201]. An essential oil is obtained from the leaves. Plants can be grown as a ground cover when spaced about 45cm apart each way[208].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

The leaves have an aromatic fragrance[245].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant when given suitable conditions, it prefers a well-drained poor stony soil[4, 14, 27, 52] and succeeds in a hot dry sunny position[200]. It prefers an alkaline soil[200] though it is not too fussy. It is very intolerant of soils that remain damp, especially in the winter, and dislikes shade[200]. Plants are less hardy when they are grown in rich soils and also in wet conditions[4, K]. Winter savory is often grown in the garden as a culinary herb, there are some named varieties[183]. The flavour is said to be more coarse than that of the annual savory (S. hortensis). The plants live for several years, but as they grow older they do not make so much new growth and so are best replaced every two years[4]. A good bee plant[200]. The leaves have an aromatic fragrance[245]. A good companion plant to grow in the garden, it does especially well with onions and beans and helps to repel insect pests[201]. The plant is said to inhibit the germination of certain seeds[18]. Winter savory seeds can prevent the germination of nearby seeds[201]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in April in a greenhouse. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination can be slow and erratic[1] but usually takes place within a month[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. It is usually possible to plant out into their permanent positions during the summer, but if the plants have not grown sufficiently, or if you live in an area of cold winters, it might be best to grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm taken at a node, July/August in a frame. Pot up in autumn and overwinter in a frame, planting out in late spring or early summer of the following year. A high percentage usually succeed[78]. Cuttings of young wood, preferably with a heel, April/May in a frame[1, 37]. Plant out in the summer if the plants grow well, otherwise overwinter them in a cold frame and plant out in late spring or early summer of the following year[K]. Division in early spring as growth commences[78, 200]. This works best if soil has been mounded up into the bottom 20cm of the plant early in the previous summer[78]. Pot up the divisions and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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