HERBA THYMI VULGARIS. 487 



HERBA THYMI VULGARIS. 



Garden Thyme ; ¥. Thym vulgaire; G. Thymianhraut. 



Botanical Origin — Thymus vulgaris L., a small, erect, woody shrub 

 reaching 8 to 10 inches in heiglit, gregarious on sterile uncultivated 

 ground °in Portugal, Spain, Southei-n France and Italy, and in the 

 mountainous parts of Greece. On Mont Ventoux near Avignon, it 

 reaches an elevation above the sea of 3700 ft. (Martins). It is com- 

 monly cultivated in English kitchens as a sweet herb,' and succeeds as 

 an annual even in Iceland. 



History— Wc are not aware that thyme had any reputation in the 

 antiquity, nor do we know at what period it was first introduced in 

 northern countries. Garden thyme was commonly cultivated in Eng- 

 land in the IGth century, and was well figured and described by 

 Gerarde. It is even said to have been formerly grown on a large 

 scale for medicinal use in the neighbourhood of Deal and Sandwich in 

 Kent.' Ca7nphor of Thyme was noticed by Neumann, apothecary to 

 the Court at Berlin in 1725;^ it was called Thyviol, i^nd carefully 

 examined in 18.53 by Lallemand, and recommended instead of V\ff^ 

 (carbolic acid) in 1868 by Bouilhon, apothecary, and Paquet, M.D. 

 of Lille. 



Description— The plant produces thin, woody branching stems, 

 bearing sessile, linear-lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate leaves, ihese are 

 about 1 of an inch long, revolute at the margin, more or less lioary, 

 especially on the under side, and dotted with shining oil-glands, llie 

 small purple flowers are borne on round terminal heads, witli some- 

 times a few lo wei- whorls. The entire wild plant has a greyish tint by 

 reason of a short white pubescence, yet as seen in gardens the plant is 

 more luxuriant, greener and far less tomentose. It is extremely fragrant 

 when rubbed, and has a pungent aromatic taste. 



Production of Essential Oil-Though cultiv^ited in gardens for 

 culinary use, common tliyme is not grown m ^f g^^"!^ ^^^ f .^ 

 scale. Its essential oil {deum Thymi), for which alone it ^^ «f ^^^ere t 

 to the druggist, is distilled in the south of France. In ^^^^ .^.^/^^^^^^^^ 

 bood of JSimes, where we have observed the process, t^eentae plant s 

 used, and tb. H i .t,i II n,t,i on is carried on at two periods of the yea , 



Oil of thyme is trequently termed in English shops '^{f^f J"'^^ 

 which it in no respect resembles, and which was ncvei, so lai 



know, found in commerce.* 



IT 3 Pfiif Ti'ittl-^. Ni>. 1^60. 



Ill many of the references to tliyiue, ^ '' ■ rj, qh ^j Origanum, 



/' 'W T/nmie {Thymus Sn-pjjlhnn L.) is to ^^l^Cy Ph^n-m. Joarn. x. (1851) 



be understood, au,l not the present species fee ^^^'^ J' ;,,.,, iSTG, p. 4G. 



- Buoth in Trm.unj of BUaw,, ii. (1SG6) ^-i, also ou(« i 



