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Thymus praecox arcticus

Common name:	Wild Thyme	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	(E.Durand.)Jalas.	Botanical references:	11, 17, 200
Synonyms:	Thymus pycnotrichus (Auct.), Thymus neglectus (Ronn.), Thymus drucei (Ronniger.), Thymus carniolicus (Auct.), Thymus britannicus (Ronniger.), Thymus arcticus ((E.Durand.)Ronn.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western Europe, including Britain, from Iceland and Norway to France and Spain.
Habitat:	Chalk downs, dry grassland, heaths, dunes, screes and amongst rocks[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	T. praecox ssp. arcticus[B,P] T. praecox subsp. arcticus[H] T. serpyllum[B] T. serpyllum auct. non[P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Creeping Thyme [P], Crimson Thyme [H], Mother Of Thyme [H], Wild Thyme [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	arcticus = of the arctic; praecox = early ripening;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.05m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Tea.

Leaves - raw in salads or added as a flavouring to cooked foods[183]. Retains its flavour well in long slow cooking. If the leaves are to be dried, the plants should be harvested in early and late summer just before the flowers open and the leaves should be dried quickly[200].
An aromatic tea is made from the leaves or dried flowers[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Carminative; Deodorant; Diaphoretic; Disinfectant; Expectorant; Sedative; Tonic.

The leaves, and especially the essential oil contained in them, are anthelmintic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic[4, 7, 21, 200, 238]. The plant can be used fresh at any time of the year, or it can be harvested as it comes into flower and either be distilled for the oil or dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Essential; Fungicide; Repellent.

An essential oil from the leaves is used in perfumery, soaps, medicinally etc[200]. It has fungicidal properties[171].
The dried flowers are used to repel moths from clothing[4].

Cultivation details

Requires a light well-drained preferably calcareous soil in a sunny position[1, 200]. Succeeds in dry soils, tolerating drought once it is established[190]. Grows well between stepping stones on paths, tolerating light treading[183, 200]. Succeeds on walls. Thymes dislike wet conditions, especially in the winter. A layer of gravel on the soil around them will help protect the foliage from wet soils[238].
Hardy to about -15°c[200].
Closely related to T. serpyllum[11], this plant is the true native wild thyme in Britain[11]. It is a very polymorphic plant, there are a number of named forms[183]. This is a very difficult genus taxonomically, the species hybridize freely with each other and often intergrade into each other[1].
A good companion for most other plants[54], it makes a very good carpeting plant for the rockery or between paving stones[1].
The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to honey bees[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Seed can also be sown in autumn in a greenhouse. Surface sow or barely cover the seed. Germination can be erratic. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn[200]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Cuttings of young shoots, 5 - 8cm with a heel, May/June in a frame[200].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[200].
Layering.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The bruised leaves have a pungent aroma.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Ground cover plants.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Thymus britannicus (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Thymus drucei (a possible synonym).

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

References for Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus (a possible synonym).

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

[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.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[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.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[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.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[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.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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