Garden Rosemary, Polar Plant, Compass-weed, Compass Plant, Old
Man, Romero (Spanish) Do not take the essential oil internally
unless under professional supervision. Native to the
Mediterranean region and Portugal, rosemary grows freely in much
of southern Europe and is cultivated throughout much of the
world, especially in the Mediterranean, Portugal, the
Transcaucasus, Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, South
Africa, Australia, and North and Central America. It is a
strongly aromatic evergreen shrub, growing to seven feet in
height producing narrow, dark green, pinelike leaves and tiny,
pinkish-purple, orchid-like flowers along its stems. Rosemary is
one of a small genus that has four species of Mediterranean
evergreens. The Algerian varieties are markedly different from
others and are described in some herbals as being a different
species. Rosemary was reputedly first grown in England by
Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, in the 14th century
and is one of the herbs that holds a central place in Eur