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Common Name: Lemon Thyme

General Information

Thymus x citriodorus is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 0.10 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

A hybrid of garden origin between T. pulegioides and T. vulgaris.

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.10 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. 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[].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[].
This is a very difficult genus taxonomically, the species hybridize freely with each other and often intergrade into each other[].
Often cultivated in the herb garden for its leaves, there are some named varieties.
The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to honey bees[]. A good companion for most plants[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw in salads or added as a flavouring to cooked foods[, ]. A delicious lemon flavour[]. 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[]. It has a pleasant lemon-like flavour and is very refreshing[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves, and especially the essential oil contained in them, are strongly antiseptic, deodorant and disinfectant[, ]. 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[].
The leaves contain an antioxidant and regular use of the raw leaves has been shown to increase average life expectancy by about 10%.
The essential oil obtained from this plant is thought to be less irritant than other thyme oils and so it is used in aromatherapy to treat asthma and other respiratory complaints, especially in children[].

Other Uses

The essential oil obtained from the leaves and flowering stems is used in perfumery, as a mouth wash, medicinally etc[].
The aromatic leaves are dried and used in pot-pourri and herbal pillows[].
The plant makes an attractive ground cover for a sunny position[]. They are best spaced about 30cm apart each way[].

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. This species is a hybrid and will not breed true from seed.
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.