Your kitchen and garden may already be home to this festive family of plants.
Imagine Christmas without peppermint candy canes. Or cooking a brisket for Hanukkah without thyme or sage. Or tamales and pozole sans oregano.
All these festive foods are vastly different, but they have one thing in common: Herbs from the Lamiaceae plant family. This “merry mint” group is sure to bring joy to your kitchen this holiday season!
Broadly known as the “mint” family, the Lamiaceae boast a myriad of culinary uses. Also referred to as “sage” or “salvia,” this plant group is a cornerstone of the Texas ecosystem, providing food for a wide range of pollinators and other wildlife. Deer-resistant and drought-hardy, many species are featured in WaterSaver gardens across San Antonio. In fact, salvia is one of the many options offered in our WaterSaver Landscape Coupon (returning March 1).
A fun way to explore plants is to learn about their families, which are grouped based on common traits. For example:
- Poaceae (grasses): Long, strappy leaves.
- Fabaceae (legumes): Pinnately compound leaves and seed pods that split down the middle, like a green bean.
- Asteraceae (daisy): Composite flowers that appear as a single bloom.
Lamiaceae plants are recognizable by their square stems and aromatic leaves, which are often simple and oppositely arranged. They contain terpenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds — elements used to create essential oils that give these plants their strong fragrance.
Known for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, Lamiaceae flowers are typically clustered, featuring a two-lipped, tubular corolla with five-lobed, bell-shaped calyxes.
Some popular kitchen staples from the Lamiaceae family include:
Mint (Mentha spp.)- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
- Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
- Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
- Savory (Satureja spp.)
- Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Rosemary, recently recategorized into the Lamiaceae family, is a fantastic seasoning for beef, chicken, lamb and vegetables. Its complex flavor — earthy, piney and peppery with citrus and sage notes — is a staple in spice blends like Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence.
Rosemary thrives in gardens as a drought-tolerant evergreen shrub with pale bluish-purple flowers that bloom year-round, including during the winter holidays. Once established, rosemary requires minimal watering and may need protection from hard freezes.
Apothecary uses
The Lamiaceae family also includes medicinal herbs like lemon balm, hyssop, horehound, and self-heal (Prunella spp.). These plants have been used for centuries for their health benefits.
Seasonal sightings
Timely rains have sparked a lush winter flush of green annual groundcover. Cool-season annuals like rescue grass, sticky willy and henbit are thriving across Texas. While henbit is aggressive and self-seeding, its pink flowers provide wintertime color. Though non-native, henbit has been a food and medicinal staple in Europe for centuries.
Texas range and wildflowers
Native Lamiaceae species in Texas include bee balm (Monarda citrodora), horsemint and various salvias. Bee balm, with vibrant pink to purple flowers, is a springtime favorite among bees and butterflies. It blooms en masse, complementing Texas wildflowers like firewheels, bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush.
Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) and mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea) are popular landscape plants in central Texas. Mealy blue sage, often overshadowed by its cultivar ‘Henry Duelberg,’ stands out with its narrower leaves and pale flowers.
Year-round enjoyment
The Lamiaceae family encompasses over 7,000 species, many of which are ideal for WaterSmart gardens and culinary use. From salvias to skullcaps and oregano to pennyroyal, these plants offer endless beauty and utility.
Take a look around — your kitchen and garden may already be home to some of these festive family members!
