This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Wild thyme is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Thymus serpyllum | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||
| Conservation status | ||||||||||||||
|
Secure
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Thymus serpyllum L. |
Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of 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 Labiatae family, and is related to the mint and Dead Nettle plants.
Contents |
Uses
It is a source of oil of Serpolet by distillation, and is used as an aphrodisiac in herbal medicine. 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.
It is an important nectar source plant for honeybees as well as the large blue butterfly which feeds exclusively on wild thyme. All thyme species are nectar sources, but wild thyme covers large areas of droughty, rocky soils in southern Europe. Croatia, Greece, North Africa, Malta, the Berkshire Mountains and Catskill Mountains of the northeastern United States, and New Zealand are especially famous for wild thyme honey. See also: Monofloral honey
Gallery
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 var. albus |
 var. albus |
Illustrations
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
 |
This vegetable-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 9 November 2008, at 17:14.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Wild thyme".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.