672 



THY 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



THY 



throat small ; upper lip shorter, flat, erect, emarginate, ob- 

 tuse ; lower lip longer, spreading, wider, trifid, obtuse ; 

 middle segment wider. Stamina: filamenta four, curved in, 

 two of which are longer; antheree small, two-lobed. Pistil: 

 germen four-parted ; style filiform ; stigma bifid, acute. Pe- 

 ricarp: none; the calix narrowed at the neck, cherishing the 

 seeds in its bosom. Seeds: four, small, roundish. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: two-lipped, its mouth closed with 

 liair. Corolla : upper lip flat, emarginate. The spe- 

 cies are, 



1. Thymus Serpyllum; Wild Thyme. Flowers in heads ; 

 stems decumbent; leaves flat, ovate, obtuse. Root woody, 

 fibrous, brown, perennial; heads of flowers terminating, round- 

 ish, with little leaves among them ; calix striated or ribbed, 

 dotted like the leaves ; the two lower teeth deeply gashed, 

 narrower, acute, ciliate ; the mouth close, with white con- 

 verging villose hairs : according to Withering, it is coloured, 

 with a circle of white hairs running round the inside at the 

 base of the segments, which, while the plant is in flower, lie 

 flat to the sides of the calix, but, when the corolla falls off, 

 expand and close up its mouth: corolla purplish-red; the 

 upper lip erect, and turning back a little; lower divided into 

 three obtuse segments, the middle one longest. Few plants 

 are subject to more varieties than this species. In its most 

 natural state, on dry exposed downs, it is small and procum- 

 bent ; but when it grows among furze or other plants, it runs 

 up with a slender stalk to a foot or more in height. It differs 

 also very much in the smoothness or hairiness of its leaves : 

 the flowers are sometimes larger than ordinary, and of a paler 

 purple colour, or even white. The White-flowered, the Large- 

 flowered, and the Broad-leaved Wild Thyme, are not uncom- 

 mon. The last was observed at Okey-hole in Somersetshire ; 

 and is described by Miller, with leaves broader and smoother 

 than those of the common sort; stalks growing much longer; 

 joints farther distant ; heads of flowers larger ; and corolla of 

 a brighter purple colour. There is a variety of it with varie- 

 gated leaves, which was formerly planted for edgings to bor- 

 ders, and is frequently brought in pots to the London markets. 

 Another variety, called Lemon Thyme, is generally kept in 

 gardens, for the agreeable odour of its leaves ; but when it 

 is propagated by seeds, the plants have not the same scent : 

 it is therefore an accidental variety, which can only be pre- 

 served by slips or cuttings : it is found wild in Kent, and at 

 Downton Castle, Shropshire. The Narrow-leaved Smooth 

 Wild Thyme is known by its leaves, which the name itself 

 describes, and which smell like those of the Walnut Tree. 

 The Hoary Wild Thyme differs only from the common sort 

 by its hairiness. Ray found it on Gogmagog Hills, and it 

 still occurs there and in other barren places. The small 

 scentless creeping "Wild Thyme was imported from Ireland. 

 The Shrubby Hairy Mother of Thyme, or Wild Thyme, was 

 found near Llanberys; and by Sherard on Snowden,in North 

 "Wales. Linneus mentions another variety, with woolly heads, 

 which are the nests of some insect. It is not uncommon in 

 England ; and is not singular in being thus infested by insects, 

 as Veronica, Chamsedrys, Glecoma, Hederacea, Valeriana, 

 Locusta, and other plants, are frequently distorted from a 

 similar cause. The whole plant of this species, and most of 

 its varieties, is fragrant, and yields an essential oil that is very 

 heating. An infusion of the leaves removes the headache 

 occasioned by a debauch ; but abstaining from excess is a far 

 more effectual and salutary prescription. It has the same 

 sensible qualities as Garden Thyme, but the flavour is milder, 

 and rather more grateful : the essential oil is obtained in 

 smaller quantity, and is less acrid, and its spirituous extract 

 comes greatly short of the penetrating warmth and pungency 



of the garden kind. The partiality of bees for this and other 

 aromatic plants is well known ; and it is a common notion, 

 that the flesh of sheep, feeding upon such plants, becomes 

 superior in flavour to other mutton. The fact, however, is, 

 that sheep do not crop these aromatic plants, except by acci- 

 dent, or when they are turned half famished upon downs, 

 heaths, or commons ; but the soils and situations favourable 

 to aromatic plants produce a short sweet pasturage, best 

 adapted to feeding sheep, whom nature designed for moun- 

 tains, and not for turnip-grounds or rich meadows. Propa- 

 gation and Culture. This plant is propagated either by seeds 

 or by parting the roots; the season for which is either in 

 March or October. If it be propagated by seeds, they should 

 be sown early in the spring, upon a bed of light earth, observ- 

 ing not to bury the seeds too deep, as that would cause them 

 to rot; nor ought they to be sown too thick, for the seeds are 

 very small. When the plants are come up, they should be 

 carefully cleaned from weeds ; and if the spring should prove 

 dry, and they are watered twice a week, it will greatly pro- 

 mote their growth. In June the plants should be thinned, 

 leaving them about six inches asunder each way, that they 

 may have room to spread ; and those plants which are drawn 

 out may be transplanted into fresh beds at the same distance, 

 observing to water them until they have taken root ; after which 

 they will require no further care but to keep them clear from 

 weeds, and in the winter following they may be drawn up for 

 use. But if the plants be propagated by parting their roots, 

 the old plants should be taken up at the times before men- 

 tioned, and slipped into as many parts as can be taken off the 

 root; these should be transplanted into fresh light earth, at 

 six or eight inches' distance, observing, if the season be dry, 

 to water them until they have taken root, after which they 

 must be duly weeded ; and will thus thrive so as to be soon 

 fit for use. In order to save the seeds of these plants, some 

 of the old roots should remain unmoved in the place where 

 they were sown the preceding year ; these will flower in June, 

 and in July the seeds will ripen ; it must be taken as soon as 

 ripe, and beat out, or the very first rain will wash it all out 

 of the husks. These plants root greatly in the ground, and 

 soon extract the goodness of the soil ; hence whatever is sown 

 or planted upon a spot of ground whereon Thyme grew in the 

 preceding year, will seldom thrive, unless the ground be first 

 trenched deeper than the Thyme was rooted, and well dunged. 

 If Thyme grow upon walls, or on dry poor stony land, it will 

 survive the severest cold of this country. 



2. Thymus Lanuginosus ; Woolly Wild Thyme. Flowers 

 in heads ; stems creeping, hirsute ; leaves obtuse, villose. 

 Linneus considers this as a variety of the preceding ; but 

 Willdenow observed, that culture does not make any altera- 

 tion. Miller describes Lt as having trailing slender stalks, 

 with small ovate-lanceolate hoary leaves, and the young 

 shoots of the same year very white and hoary. The leaves 

 are stiller than those of the other sort-; ; and the flowers, 

 which are in round terminating heads, of a bright purple 

 colour. Found on the rocks of Germany, and France. Mil- 

 ler says, it grows naturally in the forest of Fontainbleau. 



3. Thymus Lsevigatus ; 'Smooth Arabian Thyme. Flowers in 

 heads; stems procumbent ; leaves linear, obtuse, sessile, nar- 

 rowed at the base ; corolla somewhat hairy ; stamina longer 

 than the corolla. Native of Arabia Felix, on Mount Chadra. 



4. Thymus Vulgaris ; Common Garden Thyme. Flowers 

 whorl-spiked ; stems erect ; leaves ovate, rolled back. This 

 is distinguished from Wild Thyme, by being more hoary, 

 higher, harder, and more woody ; the leaves are also whiter 

 and narrower, and the flowers smaller. There are several 

 varieties ; as, the Narrow-leaved, the Broad-leaved, and the 



