THYME. 



{Thymus Serpylluni L.) 



DR. ALBERT SCHNEIDER, 

 Northwestern University School of Pharmacy. 



But, if a pinching- winter thou foresee, 

 And wouldst preserve thy famished family, 

 With frag-rant thyme the city fumigate. 



— Virgil, Georgics, {Dryden), IV., 350. 



THE field or wild thyme {^Thymus 

 serpyllum) is a small, much- 

 branched shrub, about one foot 

 high, with rather slender quad- 

 rangular, purplish, pubescent 

 stems. Leaves small, opposite, sessile. 

 Flowers numerous, in clusters in the 

 axils of the upper leaves. Corolla pur- 

 plish, irregular; calyx green and per- 

 sistent. The plant is propagated by 

 means of underground stems. It is far 

 from being a showy plant. 



This plant is closely related to the 

 garden thyme {T. vulgaris, L.), and 

 grows profusely in meadows, fields and 

 gardens. Both species are very fra- 

 grant and it is to this characteristic 

 that they owe their popularity. The 

 ancient Greeks and Romans valued 

 thyme very highly and made use of it 

 as a cosmetic, in medicine and in vet- 

 erinary practice, much as it is used at 

 the present time. Thyme yields the oil 

 of thyme which is a valuable antiseptic, 

 used as a gargle and mouth wash, for 

 toothache, in dressing wounds and 

 ulcers, also for sprains and bruises, in 

 chronic rheumatism, etc. It finds ex- 

 tensive use in the preparation of per- 

 fumes and scented soaps; but its prin- 

 cipal use is in veterinary practice. The 

 herb is much used as a flavoring agent 

 in soups and sauces, in fomentations, 

 in baths and in the preparation of 

 scented pillows. 



Two kinds of oil of thyme appear 

 upon the market, the red oil and the 



white oil. The latter is less aromatic 

 being the product of redistillation. The 

 oil is also known as oil of origanum. 



Although thyme is an insignificant 

 plant as far as appearances are con- 

 cerned it has been sung by many poets. 

 In Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's 

 Dream" Oberon, the king of the fairies, 

 says to Robin Goodfellow; 



"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, 

 Where oxlips and the nodding- violet grows, 

 Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, 

 With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine." 



Another reference to thyme is to be 

 found in the beautiful and pathetic 

 story of "The Adopted Child" by Mrs. 

 Hemans. The orphan boy in speaking 

 to the kind lady who has adopted him, 

 says: 



"Oh! green is the turf where my brothers 

 play 



Throug-h the long, bright hours of the sum- 

 mer day; 



They find the red cup-moss where they 

 climb, 



And they chase the bee o'er the scented 

 thyme." 



Description of Plate. — A, plant 

 somewhat reduced; i, 2, leaves; 3, 

 flower bud; 4, 5, flower; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 

 different views of the flower; 9, flower 

 without stamens; 10, stamens; ii, pol- 

 len grains; 12, 13, pistil; 14, developing 

 fruit; 15, transverse section of fruit; 

 16, ripening fruit; 17, 18, 19, seed. 



Note. — See illustration of thyme filant on page 171 

 marked dig-italis through error. For description of 

 digitalis see page 170. 



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