- "Creeping Thyme" and "Wild Thyme" redirect here. In some places, these names refer to Thymus praecox.
Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of
Breckland Thyme,Schauer, Thomas (1978).
A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe, Collins, London, p. 184. ISBN 0-00-219257-8.
Wild Thyme or
Creeping Thyme is a species of
thyme native to most of
Europe and
North Africa. It is a low, usually prostrate
subshrub growing to 2 cm tall with creeping stems up to 10 cm long, with oval
evergreen leaves 3–8 mm long. The strongly scented
flowers are either lilac, pink-purple, magenta, or a rare white, all 4–6 mm long and produced in clusters. The hardy plant tolerates some pedestrian traffic and produces odors ranging from heavily herbal to lightly lemon, depending on the plant.
It is part of the
Lamiaceae family, and is related to the
mint and
Dead Nettle plants.
Uses
Medicinal uses
It is a source of oil of Serpolet by
distillation, and is used as an aphrodisiac in
herbal medicine. It is also used against coughing.
Food uses
It is used as a seasoning for many meat dishes (being commonly used in beef stews), cabbage or green salads, and vegetable dishes containing
zucchini and
eggplant. The dried leaves are used for a
herbal tea throughout Europe and the United States.
Nectar source
It is an important
nectar source plant for
honeybees as well as the
large blue butterfly which feeds...
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