TWO CRITICAL PLANTS OF THE GREEK FLORA. 125 
Two Critieal Plants of the Greek Flora. 
By C. C. Lacarra, F.L.S. 
{Read 3rd May, 1917.] 
(1) Tuymus Sisrnorpn, Benth. — T. lanceolatus, Sibth. § Sm. non Desf. 
=T. heterotrichus, Griseb. 
The above synonymy was proposed by Celakovsky in 1882, but as neither 
he, nor any other author who quotes these names, except Bentham, ever 
saw the unique specimen in herb. Sibthorp at Oxford, which lies before me 
as I write, it may be useful to confirm Celakovsky’s opinion with the aid of 
that specimen, on which alone Bentham, Gen. & Sp. Lab. p. 345 (April 1834), 
based his Thymus Sibthorpii. 
There is nothing with the specimen to indicate where it was collected by 
Sibthorp. The ticket on the sheet only bears the words “ Thymus lanceolatus 
Desfont. Atlant. t. 128” in the handwriting of Smith, who in Fl. Gr. Prodr. 
p. 419 (1806) merely quotes “ T. lanceolatus Desf. In montosis Gracie.” 
Bentham at first rightly distinguished this Thymus from T. lanceolatus, Dest. 
of Algeria as being * foliis glabris, rigidis, nec ut in T. lanceolato molliter 
villosis." There are indeed stronger reasons for the separation, the chief of 
which I summarise as follows :—7T. Sibthorpii differt a T. lanceolato foliis 
floralibus non dilatatis, spicastro graciliori, minus compacto, calyce iriplo 
minore, omnino alienis, et corolla multo minore. 
The Algerian specimens on which I rely for these distinctions are: 
(1) Jamin, Pl. Alger. 1851, no. 201; (2) Bové, no. 254; (3) Munby from 
Sidi Den Abbas, all of which can be seen in Herb. Kew. 
In 1844 Grisebach, Spic. Fl. Rum. ii. p. 116, described very fully a plant 
from Mount Athos to which he gave the name of T. heterotrichus, attempting 
to distinguish it from T. Sibthorpii only because the latter has “folia latiora 
glabra et corollam vix calycem excedentem." Itis, nevertheless, undoubtedly 
identical with 7. Sibthorpw. Unfortunately, when Bentham returned to the 
thymes in DeCandolle’s *Prodromus, he confused under the name of 
T. lanceolatus, Desf. three totally distinct plants, viz.: the true 7. lanceo- 
latus of Algeria, a Persian species 7. lancifolius, Celak., and his own 
T. Sibthorpii, but at the same time he separated 7. heterotrichus, Griseb., 
although with the remark “ An idem ae T. lanceolatus?” ; see DU. Prodr. 
xii. pp. 199 and 203 (1843). It is to be remembered that Grisebach never 
saw Sibthorp’s specimen, nor had Bentham seen Grisebach’s. 
Boissier, * Flora Orientalis, iv. p. 555 (1879), wrongly identified both 
T. Sibthorpii and T. heterotrichus with T. Serpyllum var. Chaubardi (T. Chau- 
bardi, Boiss. & Heldr. pl. exsice. 1851, no. 269 — 7. glabratus, Bory & Chaub. 
