The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Two savories
Summer savory and Winter savory — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Easy to confuseKitchen
Two savories
Satureja hortensis is the annual bean herb. S. montana is the harsher perennial. A packet that only says ‘savory’ is a guess.
Summer savory is tender, mild, and dies in a frost. Winter savory is woody, sharper, and stays. Taste a leaf before you empty a tin into the beans.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.