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Common Name: Wild Thyme

General Information

Thymus praecox arcticus is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 0.05 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Western Europe, including Britain, from Iceland and Norway to France and Spain.

Habitat

Chalk downs, dry grassland, heaths, dunes, screes and amongst rocks[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.05 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a light well-drained preferably calcareous soil in a sunny position[, ]. Succeeds in dry soils, tolerating drought once it is established[]. Grows well between stepping stones on paths, tolerating light treading[, ]. 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[].
Hardy to about -15°c[].
Closely related to T. serpyllum[], this plant is the true native wild thyme in Britain[]. It is a very polymorphic plant, there are a number of named forms[]. This is a very difficult genus taxonomically, the species hybridize freely with each other and often intergrade into each other[].
A good companion for most other plants[], it makes a very good carpeting plant for the rockery or between paving stones[].
The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to honey bees[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw in salads or added as a flavouring to cooked foods[]. 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[].
An aromatic tea is made from the leaves or dried flowers[].

Medicinal

The leaves, and especially the essential oil contained in them, are anthelmintic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic[, , , , ]. 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[].

Other Uses

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

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[]. 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/early summer in a frame[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[].
Layering.