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Acinos arvensis

Acinos arvensis: Plant and Flower
Photo by NatEnv. High resolution version

Common name:	Basil Thyme	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	(Lam.)Dandy.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Satureja acinos ((L.)Scheele.), Calamintha acinos ((L.)Clairv.), Acinos thymoides (Moench.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia to the Mediterranean and east to W. Asia.
Habitat:	Dry sunny banks and in fields on chalky, gravelly and sandy soils[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. alpinus[H,HORTIPLEX] A. vulgaris[H] Calamintha alpina[H] Calamintha menthifolia[H] Calamintha officinalis[H] Clinopodium acinos[B,P] Satureja alpina[H] Thymus acinos[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Basil Thyme [H,P], Basil-thyme [B], Spring Savory [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	arvensis = of cultivated fields
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Eurasia

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Perennial growing to 0.15m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves.

The flowering tops are used as a flavouring[4, 177, 183] and in salads[238]. Said to be similar to thyme in odour but milder and more pleasant[183]. The plant is only faintly aromatic and does not really make a very good substitute for thyme[238, K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Diuretic Odontalgic Rubefacient Stomachic.

Basil thyme was a great favourite of the ancient herbalists, though it is little used medicinally at present[4]. The herb is diuretic, odontalgic, rubefacient and stomachic[4, 61, 238]. The essential oil has been applied externally as a rubefacient, whilst one drop of it put into a decayed tooth is said to alleviate the pain[4]. The plant has also been added to bath water, especially for children, and is said to be a strengthener and nerve soother[4].
The flowering plant is harvested in the summer and is normally used fresh in infusions[238].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

The plant makes a good ground cover[244].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any well-drained soil[244], though it prefers a light well-drained dry soil in full sun[1, 238]. Prefers sandy and alkaline growing conditions[238]. Dislikes shade.
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -15° c[238].
A short-lived perennial, but the plants usually self-sow when they are growing in a suitable position[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame. If you have sufficient seed then you could try sowing in situ in April or May. Germination should take place within a month. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring.
Basal cuttings in late spring. Very easy[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Acinos alpinus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Acinos thymoides (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Calamintha acinos (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Satureja acinos (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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