Botanical Musings: Mexican & Other Oregano

Ok folks, this one isn't about your usual Greek/Italian/Turkish Oregano that most people think of.

It's about the mysteriously difficult-to-research Mexican Oregano. Found in - you guessed it- delicious Mexican cuisines. I'm still on the lookout for more about this plant. So far, I have learned that there are multiple plants with various leafing patterns that fall into "mexican Oregano". There are several different local varieties in South America, including a "Cuban Oregano". Each region seems to have something different that they like to call Oregano. The general trends: aromatic, tangy with a hint of lime, woody stalk on bush or tree-like plants. Incredibly wonderful in Chile, Fish Tacos, etc. etc. Basically - you add this to any Mexican dish and it adds a punch of incredible and exotic flavor. It's pretty commonly in use in Texas and Arizona. Not so much in Southern California. Definitely would do well here if planted as an ornamental shrub, but not too many people think about it as an ornamental.

So here's what I have gathered so far:
Lippia graveolens
Poliomintha longiflora
Lippia berlandieri
Plectranthus amboinicus
These are various varieties of South American Oregano. Lippia Graveolens is related to my plant from earlier this week: Lemon Verbena. Not a huge suprize since traditional Greek Oregano and all of the South American Oreganos are in the same plant family - Lamiaceae - the mint family!
Here's what some of them look like when grown: