Common name: Thyme
Family: Lamiaceae, Mint
Height x width: 6-12" x 12-18"
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: opposite, linear to elliptic, ¼" long, slightly tomentose; usually green but some variegated cultivars; highly aromatic
Flowers: lilac to pink, summer, tubular 1/8" long in dense terminal clusters
Hardiness: perennial, zones 4-7 to 9
Soil: well-drained, tolerates dry well
Light: sun, tolerates part shade
Pests and problems: fungal leaf spots and stem rots in wet soil, aphids and spider mites indoors
Landscape habit, uses: edging, between pavers and as groundcover, rock gardens, herb gardens, bee gardens, containers, indoors.
Culinary--leaves best when picked during bloom; dry leaves; add in most cooking, using sparingly when fresh and most pungent; used to aid in digestion of fatty meats
Household--used for bees for honey; used as decoction for household disinfectant; potpourris
Cosmetic--decoction used to stimulate circulation; used in baths and facial steams; used as antiseptic in toothpastes and mouthwashes; infused with rosemary as a hair rinse to deter dandruff
Medicinal--English Wild Thyme used primarily, infused as a tea to aid digestion and for hangovers, tea sweetened with honey for coughs and sore throats; may aid in resisting infection
Aromatherapy--infused oil used as a massage for headaches
Other interest: native to Eurasia; name from Greek thymon for courage, refering to traditional use by Greeks and Romans; used by Greeks in massage oil after baths and by Romans for vigor; tea used in Scottish highlands for vigor; ancient Egyptians used it in embalming as antiseptic as is currently used in embalming fluid; sprigs carried in Middle Ages to ward off diseases and odors.
Other culture: cut back to new growth in spring, may need to replace culinary plants when they become woody and less bushy in 3 years; prune frequently to encourage new growth
Propagation: seed (125,000 seeds per ounce), spring division, tip cuttings of new growth
Species:
caespititius (cess-pi-ti' she-us)(azoricus)--Dwarf Thyme, cold hardy to zone 7, creeping to 2" tall, pink flowers, narrow leaves, pine scent, native to western Mediterranean
carnosus (car-no' sus)--Portugese Thyme, upright to 15" tall, leaves ovate in clusters, flowers white, lilac or pink, cold hardy to zone 7, native to Portugal
x citriodorus (ci-tree-o-door' us)--Lemon Thyme, pulegioides and vulgaris hybrid, erect to 12" tall, cold hardy to zone 5, pale lilac flowers, lemon scent, of garden origins
doerfleri (door' fleur-ii)--Dwarf Thyme, cold hardy to zone 5, creeping to 3" tall, mauve flowers, gray leaves clustered; native to eastern Europe
herba-barona (er-ba bare-o' nah)--Caraway Thyme, creeping to 4" tall, arching branches, pink flowers, caraway scent; tough and often used in lawns; cold hardy to zone 6, native to Mediterranean
odoratissimus (o-door-ah-tiss' i-muss)--stems erect or trailing to 6" tall, leaves clustered in axils, flowers greenish purple; citrus scent; cold hardy to zone 6, native to southern Russia
pallasianus (pal-laa-see-aa' nuss)--like odoratissimus only leaves glabrous and slightly wider; pale pink flowers; citrus scent; cold hardy to zone 7, native to southern Russia
polytrichus (pol-ee-tree' cus)(praecox)--English Wild Thyme, mat-forming to 3" tall, cold hardy to zone 5, mauve to purple flowers; native to central Europe; subsp. britannicus is like species only with pubescent stems and slightly longer flowers
praecox:polytrichus
praecox subsp. articus: polytrichus subsp. britannicus
pseudolanuginosus (sue-dough-la-nue-gi-no' sus)--Woolly Thyme, prostrate, elliptic and pubescent leaves, few pale pink axillary flowers, cold hardy to zone 6, unknown origin
pulegioides (pew-lee-gee-oy'dees)--Broad Leaf Thyme, large and rounded leaves, mauve-pink flowers, bushy shrub to 15" tall; cold hardy to zone 5, native to Europe
richardii (ri-car' dee-ii)(nitidus)--Creeping Thyme, pale lilac flowers, 6" tall; cold hardy to zone 7, native to Eastern Europe
serphyllum (sir-phil' lum)--Wild Thyme, dwarf prostrate shrub to 4" tall, pink or purple flowers whorled in rounded heads, cold hardy to zone 5, native to northern Europe
thracicus (thraa' ki-cuss)--Lavender Thyme, similar to praecox only to 4" tall, basal clusters of small leaves,mauve to purple flowers, cold hardy to zone 8, native to Balkans
vulgaris (vul-gair' iss)--French/Common Thyme, common cooking species, to 1' tall; cold hardy to zone 7, native to western Mediterranean
Cultivars:
| Cultivars, other taxa | species | flowers | leaves |
| 'Albus' | polytrichus britannicus | white | |
| 'Annie Hall' | serphyllum | pale pink | prostrate |
| 'Archer's Gold' | x citriodorus | pink | pungent, remains golden |
| 'Argenteus' | x citriodorus | purple | silver edged |
| 'Aureus' | x citriodorus | pink | golden |
| subsp. aureus | vulgaris | rosy | golden yellow |
| 'Bressingham' | doerfleri | clear pink | gray green |
| 'Coconut' | -- | pink | slight coconut scent |
| 'Coccineus' | serphyllum | crimson | slight scent |
| 'Doone Valley' | -- | pale purple | green, gold splashes, lemony |
| 'Dorothy Klaber' | polytrichus | dark pink | dense, low mat |
| 'Fragrantissimus' | x citriodorus | pale lilac | fruity scent, blue green |
| 'Golden Queen' | x citriodorus | pale lilac | light gold variegated |
| 'Goldstream' | serphyllum | lilac | yellow variegated |
| 'Hall's Variety' | pseudolanuginosus | pink | soft woolly |
| 'Lemon Carpet' | herba-barona | pink | lemony, wiry stems, very low |
| 'Lemon Curd' | serphyllum | pink | long branches, narrow leaves |
| 'Lime' | -- | pink | lime scent |
| 'Longwood' | -- | pale pink | gray silver, vigorous |
| 'Minus' | polytrichus britannicus | pink | tiny |
| 'Orange Balsam' | vulgaris | white | pine and citrus scent |
| 'Orange Spice' | -- | pink | orange spicy scent, dense mat |
| 'Oregano' | -- | pink | creeping, oregano scent |
| 'Pink Chintz' | serphyllum | salmon | woolly, dark green |
| 'Silver Needle' | -- | pink | silver gray, needle-like |
| 'Silver Posie' | vulgaris | pink | white edged, tiny, pink stems |
| 'Silver Queen' | x citriodorus | pale pink | silver-splashed green, lemony |
| 'Snowdrift' | serphyllum | white | small, faint scent |
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