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Thymus
Also called Thymes
Thyme (Thymus) is a genus of about 350 aromatic perennial herbs and subshrubs from the Mediterranean region, with common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) the best known. Grow them in full sun and well-drained soil, as most thymes dislike wet roots.
The genus Thymus ( TY-məs; thymes) contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean area of Europe, North Africa and Turkey.
Several members of the genus are cultivated as culinary herbs or ornamentals, when they are also called thyme after its best-known species, Thymus vulgaris or common thyme.
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.
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.
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. The therapeutic effect of thyme is largely attributed to these essential oils belonging to the terpenoids family. 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.
Algerian Thyme · Wild Thyme · Spanish Lemon Thyme · Azores Thyme · Camphor Thyme · Thymus · Thymus capitellatus · Portuguese Thyme · Lemon Thyme · Thymus dubjanskyi · Caraway Thyme · Hyemalis Thyme
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Thymus (plant) by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
