Thymus (plant)

Description

The plants grow up to 40 cm tall. The stems tend to be narrow or even wiry. The leaves are evergreen in most species, arranged in opposite pairs, oval, entire, and small, 4–20 mm long, and usually aromatic. Thyme flowers are in dense terminal heads with an uneven calyx, with the upper lip three-lobed, and are yellow, white, or purple.

Classification

A considerable amount of confusion has existed in the naming of thymes. Many nurseries use common names rather than binomial names, which can lead to mix-ups. For example golden thyme, lemon thyme, and creeping thyme are all common names for more than one cultivar. Some confusion remains over the naming and taxonomy of some species, and Margaret Easter (who holds the NCCPG National Plant Collection of thymes in the UK) has compiled a list of synonyms for cultivated species and cultivars.

The most common classification is that used by Jalas, in eight sections:

• Micantes: Iberian Peninsula, Madeira and the Azores, includes T. caespititius
• Mastichina: Iberian Peninsula, includes T. mastichina
• Piperella: Monotypic section confined to the vicinity of Valencia, Spain
• Teucrioides: Balkan Peninsula
• Pseudothymbra: Iberian Peninsula and north Africa, includes T. cephalotos, T. longiflorus and T. membranaceus
• Thymus: Western Mediterranean region, includes T. camphoratus, T. carnosus, T. hyemalis, T. vulgaris and T. zygis
• Hyphodromi: Throughout the Mediterranean region, includes T. cilicicus and T. comptus
• Serpyllum: The largest section, throughout whole region, apart from Madeira and Azores, includes T. comosus, T. doerfleri, T. herba-barona, T. longicaulis, T. pannonicus, T. praecox, T. pulegioides, T. quinquecostatus, T. richardii, T. serpyllum, T. sibthorpii and T. thracicus

Selected species

Main article: List of Thymus species

• Thymus adamovicii
• Thymus altaicus
• Thymus amurensis
• Thymus boissieri
• Thymus bracteosus
• Thymus broussonetii
• Thymus caespititius
• Thymus camphoratus
• Thymus capitatus
• Thymus capitellatus
• Thymus camphoratus
• Thymus carnosus
• Thymus cephalotus
• Thymus cherlerioides
• Thymus ciliatus
• Thymus cilicicus
• Thymus cimicinus
• Thymus citriodorus (Thymus × citriodorus) syn. T. fragrantissimus, T. serpyllum citratus, T. serpyllum citriodorum. – citrus thyme
• Thymus comosus
• Thymus comptus
• Thymus curtus
• Thymus decussatus
• Thymus disjunctus
• Thymus doerfleri
• Thymus dubjanskyi
• Thymus glabrescens
• Thymus herba-barona
• Thymus hirsutus
• Thymus hyemalis
• Thymus inaequalis
• Thymus integer
• Thymus lanuginosus, syn. T. serpyllum – woolly thyme
• Thymus leucospermus
• Thymus leucotrichus
• Thymus longicaulis
• Thymus longiflorus
• Thymus mandschuricus
• Thymus marschallianus
• Thymus mastichina
• Thymus membranaceus
• Thymus mongolicus
• Thymus moroderi
• Thymus nervulosus
• Thymus nummularis
• Thymus odoratissimus
• Thymus pallasianus
• Thymus pallidus
• Thymus pannonicus
• Thymus praecox – creeping thyme
• Thymus proximus
• Thymus pseudolanuginosus, syn. T. serpyllum – woolly thyme
• Thymus pulegioides – lemon thyme
• • Japanese thyme
• Thymus richardii
• Thymus satureioides
• Thymus serpyllum
• Thymus sibthorpii
• Thymus striatus
• Thymus thracicus – lavender thyme
• Thymus villosus
• Thymus vulgaris – common thyme
• Thymus zygis

Distribution and habitat

The genus is native to temperate regions in Europe, North Africa and Asia. Thymus is particularly concentrated in Iran, attributed to the country's diverse climate and location both in terms of geography and topography. Thymus quinquecostatus Celak is present in Korea.

Ecology

Thymus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some butterfly and moth insect species, including Chionodes distinctella and the Coleophora case-bearers C. lixella, C. niveicostella, C. serpylletorum, and C. struella (the last three feeding exclusively on Thymus).

Cultivation

Thymus is cultivated for its fragrant leaves and used as a culinary herb in Mediterranean cooking.

Mrs Margaret Easter was appointed International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus in 2007.

Uses

Main article: Thyme

Thyme is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Thyme species such as T. fedtschenkoi, T. pubescens, and T. transcaucasicus have large amounts of the essential oils thymol and carvacrol. These Thymus species are used for herbal tea, spice, and medicine. Thyme is considered amongst the most consequential medicinal plants due to its substantial amount of bioactive compounds. Thyme has been used to treat diabetes, cold and chest infections, and coughs. In conventional Korean medicine, T. quinquecostatus Celak has been used to treat cancer, hepatic disease, and constipation.

References

Sources

• Easter M. Thymus
• University of Melbourne: Thymus

References

1. Linnaeus.Sp. Pl.: 590 (1753).
2. [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=204357 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
3. (1995). "Sunset Western Garden Book".
4. "Thymus Linnaeus". Flora of China.
5. Easter, Margaret. "Thymus Synonyms".
6. Jalas, Jaakko. (1971). "Notes on ''Thymus'' L. (Labiatae) in Europe. I. Supraspecific classification and nomenclature". Bot. J. Linn. Soc..
7. [http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Thymus%20x%20citriodorus Thymus x citriodorus - (Pers.)Schreb.]. Plants for a Future.
8. [https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=THPU5 USDA Thymus pulegioides]
9. (2022). "Genus Thymus in Iran—Ethnobotany, Phytochemical, Molecular, and Pharmacological Features". Springer International Publishing.
10. (January 2022). "The Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oil from Korean Native Thyme Bak-Ri-Hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.)". Molecules.
11. "How to grow thyme". Royal Horticultural Society.
12. "Thymus Nomenclature".
13. (2022-05-18). "A Focused Insight into Thyme: Biological, Chemical, and Therapeutic Properties of an Indigenous Mediterranean Herb". Nutrients.
14. (2024-02-13). "Habitat potential modelling and the effect of climate change on the current and future distribution of three Thymus species in Iran using MaxEnt". Scientific Reports.
15. (2020). "Toxicology: oxidative stress and dietary antioxidants". Academic press, an imprint of Elsevier.
16. Nieto, Gema. (2020-07-30). "A Review on Applications and Uses of Thymus in the Food Industry". Plants.
17. Kuete, Victor. (2017). "Medicinal spices and vegetables from Africa: therapeutic potential against metabolic, inflammatory, infectious and systemic diseases". Elsevier Academic press.
18. (January 2022). "The Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oil from Korean Native Thyme Bak-Ri-Hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.)". Molecules.