THYME. 355 



cending, slender, tetragonal, of a brownish red hue. The leaves 

 are opposite, shortly petiolate, plane, ovate, obovate, or ovate- 

 lanceolate, obtuse, entire, dotted, whitish beneath, the margin 

 more or less ciliated at the base. The flowers are disposed in 

 small capitate spurious whorls, subtended by four bracteae ; 

 each flower on a short pedicel. The calyx is tubular, marked 

 with ten ribs, villous, purplish, two-lipped, the upper lip plane, 

 three-toothed, the lower lip bifid, with subulate, ciliated seg- 

 ments. The corolla is of a pale reddish purple colour, bilabiate ; 

 the tube cylindrical, as long as the calyx ; the upper lip erect, 

 oblong, nearly plane, notched ; the lower lip spreading, trifid, 

 with ovate obtuse segments. The stamens are four, distant, 

 sometimes rather longer than the corolla, with erect subulate 

 filaments inserted in the tube, tipped with small, cordate, pur- 

 ple anthers. The germen is ovate, four-lobed, supporting a 

 subulate style, terminated by a bifid acute stigma. The fruit 

 consists of four minute nuts, situated at the bottom of the per- 

 sistent calyx, the tube of which is clothed with hairs at the 

 period of maturation. Plate 44, fig. 2 ; (a) calyx, natural size ; 

 (b) corolla ; (c) entire flower, magnified. 



Wild Thyme, so well known for its pleasant odour, is abund- 

 ant on heaths, hills, and dry pastures in every part of the 

 kingdom, flowering in July and August. 



The generic name is derived from dv^s, strength, the plants 

 to which it refers being supposed from their aromatic proper- 

 ties to strengthen the animal spirits. Serpyllum, from ^ttvAAov, 

 and that from i^r«, to creep, refers to the procumbent habit of 

 the plant. It is doubtful whether this is the plant intended by 

 Dioscorides. It is probably referred to by Virgil *, both as 

 Thymus and Serpyllum. Wild Thyme is sometimes called, pro- 

 vincially, Mother of Thyme, Pulial Mountain, and Creeping 

 Thyme. 



The common garden Thyme (T. vulgaris) is distinguished by 



* " Nerine Galatea, thymo mihi dulcior Hyblae." 



Eel. vii. v. 37. 

 " Allium serpyllumque herbas contundit olentes." 



Eel. ii. v. 11. 



" olentia late 



" Serpylla et graviter spirentis copia thymbrge." 



Georff. iv. v. 31. 

 B B 2 



