''Thymus praecox'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus '' Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

. A common name is mother of thyme, but "creeping thyme" and "wild thyme" may be used where ''

Thymus serpyllum ''Thymus serpyllum'', known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to most of Europe and North Africa. It is ...

'', which also shares these names, is not found. It is native to central, southern, and western

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Classification

''Thymus praecox'' is in the genus ''

Thymus The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or '' T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders ...

'' belonging to the ''Serpyllum'' section. It has sometimes been reclassified as ''T. polytrichus.''Brickell, C. & Zuk, J., Editors-in-Chief. ''The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants,'' First American Edition. (New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1997; ).

Subspecies and cultivars

''Thymus praecox''

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s include: * ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''praecox'' ** ''Thymus praecox'' 'Doone Valley' (recently reclassified as a hybrid under the name ''Thymus'' 'Doone Valley') ** ''Thymus praecox'' 'Minus' ** ''Thymus praecox'' 'Pseudolanuginosus' * ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''arcticus'' (sometimes classified as ''Thymus polytrichus'' subsp. ''britannicus'') ** ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''arcticus'' 'Albus' (white moss thyme) ** ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''arcticus'' 'Languinosus' (woolly thyme) ** ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''arcticus'' 'Hall's Woolly' ** ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''arcticus'' 'Pink Chintz' (recently reclassified as ''Thymus serpyllum'' 'Pink Chintz') * ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''polytrichus'' (A. Kern. Ex Borbàs) Jalas. Found in the wild in Bosnia. * ''Thymus praecox'' subsp. ''skorpilii'' (Velen.) Jalas. Found in the wild in Bosnia.

Uses

Cultivation

''Thymus praecox'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, used as an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as ...

in gardens and

pot Pot may refer to: Containers * Flowerpot, a container in which plants are cultivated * Pottery, ceramic ware made by potters * A type of cookware Places * Ken Jones Aerodrome, IATA airport code POT * Palestinian Occupied Territories, the W ...

s. When maintained at a lower height it is used between paving stones in patios and walkways. It is drought tolerant when established. This thyme species (and ''Thymus serpyllum'') has escaped cultivation in North America, and is a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in some

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Cuisine

This thyme has a strong scent similar to

Oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial ...

. It can be used in

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

. Like other species of thyme, ''T. praecox'' is characterized by substantial differences in

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

composition from plant to plant. Plants which differ in this way are known as ''chemotypes'' and a geographical population will generally contain a mix of chemotypes. For example, studies of chemotypes in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, England, Scotland, and Ireland show that chemotypes span those countries rather than being geographically localized. Some of those areas contain greater chemotype diversity than others.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2697123 praecox Herbs Flora of Europe Garden plants of Europe Drought-tolerant plants Groundcovers