Trees, Shrubs, and Plants of Virgil 

 Thymbra. 



'graviter spirantis copia thymbrae' (Ge. iv. 31). 

 The species of savory here named is probably 

 Satureia hortensis, a small labiate annual cultivated 

 for the aromatic tops, which were used in cookery 

 and for flavouring vinegar. In England this is 

 known as summer savory. Our plant may, however, 

 be another species, S. montana, known here as winter 

 savory. It is a shrubby perennial. Whichever of 

 the two was called thymbra, the other was called 

 satureia, from which name savory is derived. The 

 Greek Ovfifipa was perhaps a third species not native 

 to Italy. 



Flower, Summer. 



Italian names, Santoreggia and Savoreggia. 



Thymum. 



'Cecropium . . . thymum' (Ge. iv. 270). 



' thymo mihi dulcior Hyblae ' (Ec. vii. 37). 



'redolent . . . thymo fragmantia mella ' (Ge. iv. 169). 



I believe that two species are included under this 

 name, and that the Athenian and the Italian thyme 

 were not the same plant. The former is admittedly 

 Thymus capitatus, which is found in southern but 

 not in northern Italy. On the other hand, the 

 species which occurs all along the western side of 

 the peninsula, T. vulgaris, seems not to be found in 

 Greece. This is the plant still called ' timo ' in Italy, 

 and commonly cultivated in our gardens under the 

 name of garden thyme. 



126 



