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Lippia alba

Lippia alba

(Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P.Wilson
Salvia Morada

Family: Verbenaceae
Order: Lamiales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Phylum / Division: Magnoliophyta
Kingdom: Plantae

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Records from Río Negro


Description


Lippia alba is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to southern Texas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

In Ethiopia the plant is also known as koseret (Amharic: ኮሰረት) and used as a cooking herb, especially for preparing the spiced butter niter kibbeh.

The species is also present in Australia and India, where it is probably a human introduction. Common names include bushy matgrass, bushy lippia, hierba negra, juanilama, pamporegano, poleo and pitiona.

 It is a multi-branched shrub, reaching a height of .

Leaves measure 1 to in length and in width and are opposite or in threes.

Flowers with white, pink, or light blue-purple corollas form on spikes 2 cm long.

Uses: Bushy lippia is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its aromatic foliage and beautiful flowers. The essential oil composition is unique to each plant, but may include piperitone, geranial, neral, caryophyllene, camphor, eucalyptol, limonene, carvone, germacrene, α-guaiene, β-ocimene, linalool, or myrcene. The leaves are used for flavoring foods, such as mole sauces from Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant is used medicinally for its somatic, sedative, antidepressant, and analgesic properties.

Source: Wikipedia, article Lippia alba. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





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Foto
Photography ID: 485819
  Adult

Esteros del Farrapos
Río Negro
Uruguay
01/06/2022
Luis Mier



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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
155931206/01/2022UruguayRío NegroSan Javier, Esteros del FarraposLuis Mier
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Lippia alba – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 14/09/2026.