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''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme, German thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) is a 
The Latin
Thymi herba, European Medicines Agency
vulgaris Flora of Algeria Flora of Europe Flora of Lebanon Groundcovers Herbs Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 Subshrubs Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lamiaceae-stub
''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme, German thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) 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 ...
of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
in the mint family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( )
or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...
, native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to tall by wide, it is a bushy, woody-based 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 ...
subshrub with small, highly aromatic, grey-green leaves and clusters of purple or pink flowers in early summer.
It is useful in the garden as 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 ...
, where it can be short-lived, but is easily propagated from cuttings. It is also the main source of thyme as an ingredient in cooking and as an herbal medicine. It is slightly spicier than 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 ...
and sweeter than sage.
The Latin specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
''vulgaris'' means “common” in the sense of “widespread”.
Cultivars
Numerouscultivars
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, ...
and hybrids have been developed for ornamental purposes. Nomenclature can be very confusing.
French, German and English varieties vary by leaf shape and colour and essential oils.
The many cultivars include 'Argenteus' (silver thyme).
The cultivar 'Silver Queen', with white-margined leaves, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
See also
*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 ...
(discussion of culinary and medicinal uses)
*Thymol
Thymol (also known as 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, IPMP), , is a natural monoterpenoid phenol derivative of ''p''-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol, found in oil of thyme, and extracted from '' Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme), ajwain, and va ...
, a disinfectant extract of essential oils
References
Bibliography
*L. H. Bailey; ''Manual of Cultivated Plants''. *M. Easter; ''International Thymus Register and Checklist''.External link
Thymi herba, European Medicines Agency
vulgaris Flora of Algeria Flora of Europe Flora of Lebanon Groundcovers Herbs Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 Subshrubs Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lamiaceae-stub