Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

It's amazing what beauty surrounds us if we just take the time to find it. Plant or a flower – neither really – it’s an herb. If you were not familiar with this plant and its blossoms you might not be able to identify it from this photo. Though they look rather large in this close-up photo, they are actually quite small, less than a half-inch in size. I took these shots on 06/16/2011, on a large ‘clump’ that completely surrounds the base of one of the large palm trees at our pool area.

DESCIPTION: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves.  It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs. The name rosemary derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, or "dew of the sea". Because in many locations it needs no other water than the humidity carried by the sea breeze to live; it is native to the Mediterranean region. The leaves are evergreen, 0.8 to1.6 inches long and .4 inches broad, green above, and white below with dense short woolly hair. Flowering, very common in a mature and healthy specimens and generally occurs in summer. Its flower colors are variable, being white, pink, purple, or blue. Dried leaves are frequently in Mediterranean cuisine. When burned, they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning wood, which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing.