Species
Thymus vulgaris
Common Name(s)
culinary thyme
Family
Lamiaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
THYVUL
The
National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Habitat
Terrestrial. Forms dominate scrub in cold dry areas
Features
Small hairy shrub to about 30 cm high. Shoots and leaves densely clothed in hairs. The leaves are sessile and are up to 8 x 3 mm. The flowers are held on the ends of the stems in dense clusters, flowers range from white to mauve. The seeds are about 7 mm long and are dark brown.
Similar Taxa
The stems and leaves are aromatic when crushed. T. pulegioides (creeping thyme) has a much more prostrate form.
Flowering
September, October, November, December
Flower Colours
Violet / Purple,White
Year Naturalised
1926
Origin
Mediterranean
Reason For Introduction
Agricultural
Reproduction
Spreads by seed.
Seed
Many seeds are produced.
Dispersal
People, gravity, soil movement.
Tolerances
Very tolerant of cold and dry conditions.
This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010