The Big Book ofThyme

incorporating

The Thyme Handbook

and

International Thymus Registerand Checklist

by Margaret Easter

Additional text by Susie White

Owl Prints

Thymus 'American Silver'Synonyms: T. 'Argenteus', T. serpyllum var. argenteum, T. vulgaris argenteus,

T. vulgaris 'Argenteus' (all misapplied), T. vulgaris 'Variegated', T. vulgaris Silver Thyme,

Silver edged thyme.

Habit: Bushy shrub, stems often decumbent at base with roots at nodes.

Leaves: Broadly ovate, green with silver margins, thyme scented.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in terminal clusters with verticillasters on an upright branched

inflorescence. Bracts similar to leaves.

Flowers: Mauve-pink.

Raiser: Unknown.

Earliest known date of publication: 1931 Mrs. M. Grieve A Modern Herbal.

(T. vulgaris Silver Thyme).

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2008 Plant Heritage.

Mrs. Grieve in A Modern Herbal in 1931, describing T. vulgaris, wrote "Another variety, the

Silver Thyme, is the hardiest of all and has perhaps the best flavour." Helen Fox in The

Years in My Herb Garden in 1953, describing T. vulgaris, wrote "Mrs. M. Grieve, in A Modern

Herbal, mentions a variegated form." Helen W ilson in The Fragrant Year in 1967, wrote "A

variegated form, known by its scent ... is variously offered as 'Silver Thyme', 'Silver Lemon',

and 'Silver Queen' but there is nothing of lemon in it." Léonie Bell's illustration is entitled

T. vulgaris argenteus. Gertrude B. Foster in Herbs for Every Garden in 1973, wrote "The

English grow a form called Silver Queen which is lemon-scented with silver markings on the

margins of the leaves but the silver thyme available in this country [America] has the typical

thyme pungency without lemon overtones." Included in Harriet Flannery's 1982 Thymus

Study as T. 'Argenteus'. The use of the epithet 'Argenteus' for the lemon-scented bushy

thyme, first listed by Backhouse of York in 1895 as T. citriodorus argentea, predates its use

for the American variegated thyme. In consultation with Larry Hatch (New Ornamentals

Society), Margaret Easter proposed that this thyme should be renamed T. 'American Silver';

first published in Plant Heritage, Autumn 2008.

Uses: Path edging, thyme beds, pots, culinary.

© Larry Hatch

Thymus 'Bressingham'Synonyms: T. 'Bressingham Pink', T. 'Bressingham Seedling', T. doerfleri 'Bressingham',

T. doerfleri 'Bressingham Pink', T. doerfleri 'Bressingham Seedling', T. praecox

'Bressingham', T. serpyllum 'Bressingham', T. serpyllum 'Bressingham Pink', T. serpyllum

'Bressingham Seedling'.

Habit: Mat forming with creeping stems.

Leaves: Elliptic to narrowly elliptic, mid green, margins ciliate, white hairs on upper

surfaces.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in a terminal cluster on a decumbent stem.

Flowers: Purple-pink 78B, splashed dark crimson 78A.

Raiser: Alan Bloom, Blooms of Bressingham.

Earliest known date of publication: 1956 Blooms of Bressingham

(T. doerfleri 'Bressingham Seedling').

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2009 Plant Heritage.

Found by Dick Self, the alpine foreman, on the nursery plunge beds. Although the original

epithet 'Bressingham Seedling' was acceptable in 1956, this was changed by Alan Bloom

in his 1983 Bressingham Gardens catalogue. Margaret Easter as ICRA has chosen

'Bressingham' as the accepted epithet, as it would now be destabilising to return to the

original epithet 'Bressingham Seedling' (see ICNCP Art. 26.2 - 2004). The epithet

'Bressingham Pink' was never used by Alan Bloom. However as it is unlikely to have

T. doerfleri in its parentage, Margaret Easter proposed that it should be known as

T. 'Bressingham'; first published in Plant Heritage, Spring 2009.

Uses: Between paving slabs, path edging, thyme beds, pots.

Thymus Coccineus GroupSynonyms: T. drucei 'Coccineus', T. polytrichus subsp. britannicus 'Coccineus',

T. praecox 'Coccineus', T. praecox subsp. arcticus 'Coccineus',T. serpyllum coccineus,

T. serpyllum 'Coccineus', T. serpyllum var. coccineus.

Habit: Mat forming with creeping stems.

Leaves: Ovate, narrowly ovate or elliptic, dark green, margins ciliate at base.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in a terminal cluster with a pair of verticillasters beneath, on a

decumbent stem.

Flowers: Dark crimson 78A, with darker centre 71A.

Earliest known date of publication: 1889 Backhouse of York

(T. serpyllum coccineus).

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2001 Plant Heritage.

Award of Garden Merit awarded by the RHS in 1993 to T. serpyllum 'Coccineus'. The

Thymus Coccineus Group was created by Margaret Easter in 2001, to include all thymes

with flowers 78A/71A, but with any leaf shape and with named cultivars included in the

Coccineus Group; first published in Plant Heritage, Autumn 2001. This colour is also known

to occur in thymes growing in the wild. One of the best Thymus cultivars available.

Uses: Between paving slabs, path edging, thyme beds, pots.

Thymus 'Creeping Lime'Synonyms: T. 'Lime' (m isapplied), T. 'Lime Thyme' (invalid).

Habit: Mat forming with creeping stems.

Leaves: Ovate, chartreuse (yellow-green), lime scented.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in a terminal cluster with a pair of verticillasters beneath, on a

decumbent stem.

Flowers: Mauve-pink.

Raiser: Betty Ann Addison, Rice Creek Gardens, Minnesota.

Earliest known date of publication: 1997 Rice Creek Gardens

(T. 'Lime Thyme').

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2009 Plant Heritage.

Betty Ann in her catalogue, wrote "Another little creeper for between steps." The epithet

'Lime Thyme' is unacceptable as thyme is not permitted in an epithet and the use of the

epithet 'Lime' for a bushy Dutch thyme predates its use for the American creeping thyme.

In consultation with Betty Ann, Margaret Easter proposed that this thyme should be renamed

T. 'Creeping Lime', adopting the epithet already in use by some nurseries; first published in

Plant Heritage, Spring 2009.

Uses: Between paving slabs, path edging, thyme beds, pots.

© Larry Hatch Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia.

Thymus 'Golden Queen'Synonyms: T. citriodorus 'Golden Queen', T. × citriodorus 'Golden Queen' (both

misapplied).

Habit: Bushy shrub.

Leaves: Broadly ovate, green, irregularly variegated gold, lemon scented.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in terminal clusters with verticillasters on an upright branched

inflorescence. Bracts similar to leaves.

Flowers: Purple-pink 78C.

Raiser: Unknown.

Earliest known date of publication: 1958 W E Th. Ingwersen Ltd.

(T. citriodorus 'Golden Queen').

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2009 Plant Heritage.

Variegated sport which can revert to green, unlike T. 'Golden King' which does

not revert. As the epithet citriodorus should be regarded as a synonym of

T. pulegioides, Margaret Easter proposed that this thyme should be known as

T. 'Golden Queen'; first published in Plant Heritage, Spring 2009. (See Nomenclature.)

Uses: Path edging, thyme beds, pots.

Thymus herba-barona Loiseleur-Deslongchamps (1807)Synonyms: T. herba-barona 'Nutmeg', Caraway thyme.

Habit: Mat forming with long prostrate stems.

Leaves: Ovate, dark green, hairy at base of leaf stalk and in leaf axils, caraway scented.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in a terminal cluster with a pair of verticillasters beneath, on a

decumbent stem.

Flowers: Pale mauve 78D, buds purple-pink 78C.

Distribution: Corsica, Sardinia.

Used to flavour the baron of beef before the days of refrigeration, when meat could be

slightly 'off', hence the name. Clarence Elliott, of Six Hills Nursery, Stevenage, introduced

T. herba-barona in 1912, which he had collected in Corsica and which he described as

trailing. In Rock Garden Plants in 1935 he wrote about collecting T. herba-barona in the

Vizzavona Pass in Corsica, when he sat down to eat his lunch. He could smell seed cake

and expected to find it in his lunch, but discovered instead that he was sitting on this thyme!

This low growing variant with long trailing stems, widely available in the nursery trade, differs

from the standard bushy thyme as seen in botanic gardens and herbaria. However DNA

profiles in 1999 showed very little difference between the two.

Uses: Path edging, thyme beds, pots, culinary.

Thymus 'Jürgens Rosenteppich'Synonyms: T. lantanii (invalid).

Habit: Mat forming with creeping stems.

Leaves: Ovate, margins ciliate, calyx hairy.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in a terminal cluster on a decumbent stem.

Flowers: Purple-pink 78B.

Raiser: Unknown.

Earliest known date of publication: 2004 LW Plants (T. lantanii).

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2009 Plant Heritage.

Available as T. lantanii, an invalid epithet, from Jürgen Peters, Uetersen, Germany, before

2002. Published in LW Plants 2004 catalogue as T. lantanii. Renamed T. 'Jürgens

Rosenteppich' by Jürgen Peters; first published by Margaret Easter in Plant Heritage,

Autumn 2009.

Uses: Between paving slabs, path edging, thyme beds, pots.

Thymus 'Lemon Supreme'Synonyms: T. citriodorus 'Lemon', T. × citriodorus 'Lemon', T. citriodorus 'Lemon Supreme',

T. × citriodorus 'Lemon Supreme' (all misapplied).

Habit: Bushy shrub.

Leaves: Ovate, mid green, strongly lemon scented.

Inflorescence: Flowers borne in terminal clusters with verticillasters on an upright branched

inflorescence. Bracts similar to leaves.

Flowers: Mauve-pink 76B, small.

Raiser: Roger and Linda Bastin.

Earliest date of publication: 1995 Roger and Linda Bastin

(T. × citriodorus 'Lemon').

Earliest date of publication of registered name: 2009 Plant Heritage.

Renamed 'Lemon Supreme' by Roger Bastin and Margaret Easter in 2001, as Roger's

original cultivar epithet 'Lemon' was considered to be confusing; first published in

LW Plants 2002 catalogue. As the epithet citriodorus should be regarded as a synonym of

T. pulegioides, Margaret Easter proposed that this thyme should be known as T. 'Lemon

Supreme'; first published in Plant Heritage, Spring 2009. Plants need regular propagation

as old plants get too woody and die over winter. The best lemon scented culinary thyme.

Uses: Path edging, thyme beds, pots, culinary.