Thymus (plant)

Last updated

Thymus
Thymus camphoratus kz07.jpg
Thymus camphoratus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Nepetoideae
Tribe: Mentheae
Genus: Thymus
L. [1]
Type species
Thymus vulgaris
L.
Synonyms [2]
  • CephalotosAdans.
  • MastichinaMill.
  • SerpyllumMill.

The genus Thymus ( /ˈtməs/ TY-məs; [3] thymes) contains about 350 [4] species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World.

Contents

Several members of the genus are cultivated as culinary herbs or ornamentals, when they are also called thyme after its best-known species, Thymus vulgaris or common thyme.

Description

The plants grow up to 40 centimetres (16 in) tall. The stems tend to be narrow or even wiry. The leaves are evergreen in most species, arranged in opposite pairs, oval, entire, and small, 4–20 millimetres (1834 in) long, and usually aromatic. Thyme flowers are in dense terminal heads with an uneven calyx, with the upper lip three-lobed, and are yellow, white, or purple.

Classification

A considerable amount of confusion has existed in the naming of thymes. Many nurseries use common names rather than binomial names, which can lead to mix-ups. For example golden thyme, lemon thyme, and creeping thyme are all common names for more than one cultivar. Some confusion remains over the naming and taxonomy of some species, and Margaret Easter (who holds the NCCPG National Plant Collection of thymes in the UK) has compiled a list of synonyms for cultivated species and cultivars. [5]

The most common classification is that used by Jalas, in eight sections: [6]

Selected species

Distribution and habitat

The genus is native to temperate regions in Europe, North Africa and Asia. Thymus is particularly concentrated in Iran, attributed to the country's diverse climate and location both in terms of geography and topography. [9] Thymus quinquecostatus Celak is present in Korea. [10]

Ecology

Thymus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some butterfly and moth insect species, including Chionodes distinctella and the Coleophora case-bearers C. lixella, C. niveicostella, C. serpylletorum, and C. struella (the last three feeding exclusively on Thymus).

Cultivation

Thymus is cultivated for its fragrant leaves and used as a culinary herb in Mediterranean cooking. [11]

Mrs Margaret Easter was appointed International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus in 2007. [12]

Uses

Thyme is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. [13] Thyme species such as T. fedtschenkoi, T. pubescens, and T. transcaucasicus have large amounts of the essential oils thymol and carvacrol. [14] These Thymus species are used for herbal tea, spice, and medicine. [14] The therapeutic effect of thyme is largely attributed to these essential oils belonging to the terpenoids family. [15] Thyme is considered amongst the most consequential medicinal plants due to its substantial amount of bioactive compounds. [16] Thyme has been used to treat diabetes, cold and chest infections, and coughs. [17] In conventional Korean medicine, T. quinquecostatus Celak has been used to treat cancer, hepatic disease, and constipation. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregano</span> Species of flowering plant

Oregano is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thyme</span> Herb

Thyme is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus Thymus of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. The species most commonly cultivated and used for culinary purposes is Thymus vulgaris, native to Southeast Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pineapple</span> Species of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae

The pineapple is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.

<i>Syringa</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae

Syringa is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere.

<i>Beta vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Beta vulgaris (beet) is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae. Economically, it is the most important crop of the large order Caryophyllales. It has several cultivar groups: the sugar beet, of greatest importance to produce table sugar; the root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet; the leaf vegetable known as chard or spinach beet or silverbeet; and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop. Three subspecies are typically recognised. All cultivars, despite their quite different morphologies, fall into the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. The wild ancestor of the cultivated beets is the sea beet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thymol</span> Chemical compound found in plants including thyme

Thymol, C10H14O, is a natural monoterpenoid phenol derivative of p-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol. It occurs naturally in the oil of thyme, and it is extracted from Thymus vulgaris, ajwain, and various other plants as a white crystalline substance of a pleasant aromatic odor and strong antiseptic properties. Thymol also provides the distinctive, strong flavor of the culinary herb thyme, also produced from T. vulgaris. Thymol is only slightly soluble in water at neutral pH, but it is extremely soluble in alcohols and other organic solvents. It is also soluble in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions due to deprotonation of the phenol. Its dissociation constant (pKa) is 10.59±0.10. Thymol absorbs maximum UV radiation at 274 nm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phytochemistry</span> Study of phytochemicals, which are chemicals derived from plants

Phytochemistry is the study of phytochemicals, which are chemicals derived from plants. Phytochemists strive to describe the structures of the large number of secondary metabolites found in plants, the functions of these compounds in human and plant biology, and the biosynthesis of these compounds. Plants synthesize phytochemicals for many reasons, including to protect themselves against insect attacks and plant diseases. The compounds found in plants are of many kinds, but most can be grouped into four major biosynthetic classes: alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, polyketides, and terpenoids.

<i>Thymus serpyllum</i> Species of plant

Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub forming creeping stems up to 10 cm (4 in) tall. The oval evergreen leaves are up to 8 mm. The strongly scented flowers are either lilac, pink-purple, magenta, up to 6 mm long and produced in clusters.

NVC community CG7 is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group, and is regarded as the eastern counterpart of "typical" chalk grassland.

Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano.

<i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Thymus vulgaris is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to 15–30 cm (6–12 in) tall by 40 cm (16 in) wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen subshrub with small, highly aromatic, grey-green leaves and clusters of purple or pink flowers in early summer.

<i>Thymus citriodorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Thymus citriodorus, the lemon thyme or citrus thyme, is a lemon-scented evergreen mat-forming perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. There has been a great amount of confusion over the plant's correct name and origin. Recent DNA analysis suggests that it is not a hybrid or cross, but a distinct species as it was first described in 1811., yet an analysis in a different study clustered Thymus citriodorus together with Thymus vulgaris, which is considered as one of its parent species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watermelon</span> Large gourd fruit with a smooth hard rind

Watermelon is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieties.

<i>Scopula rubiginata</i> Species of geometer moth in subfamily Sterrhinae

Scopula rubiginata, the tawny wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767.

Trifurcula thymi is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found from Germany and Poland to the Alps and Hungary, as well as in France and the Iberian Peninsula.

<i>Clinopodium menthifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Clinopodium menthifolium, commonly known as the wood calamint or woodland calamint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is found throughout southern and central Europe from the United Kingdom and east as far as temperate parts of Asia, and as south as North Africa. It grows up to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in elevation.

Angelica glauca, also known as Himalayan angelica, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is found from eastern Afghanistan through the western Himalayas to western Tibet. It is noted for its medicinal and aromatic properties. Angelica glauca grows mainly in high-altitude areas and is cultivated for its value in traditional medicine, especially its roots and essential oil. Collecting in the wild for its essential oil has driven this species to endangered status.

References

  1. Linnaeus.Sp. Pl.: 590 (1753).
  2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. pp. 606–607.
  4. "Thymus Linnaeus". Flora of China.
  5. Easter, Margaret. "Thymus Synonyms" . Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  6. Jalas, Jaakko (1971). "Notes on Thymus L. (Labiatae) in Europe. I. Supraspecific classification and nomenclature". Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 64: 199–235.
  7. Thymus x citriodorus - (Pers.)Schreb.. Plants for a Future.
  8. USDA Thymus pulegioides
  9. Emami Bistgani, Zohreh; Mamedov, Nazim; Lotfy Ashour, Mohamed (2022), Öztürk, Münir; Khan, Shujaul Mulk; Altay, Volkan; Efe, Recep (eds.), "Genus Thymus in Iran—Ethnobotany, Phytochemical, Molecular, and Pharmacological Features", Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia: Volume 2: Prospects and Challenges in South and Middle Asia, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 817–848, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-73943-0_45, ISBN   978-3-030-73943-0 , retrieved 2024-04-01
  10. Kim, Minju; Sowndhararajan, Kandhasamy; Kim, Songmun (January 2022). "The Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oil from Korean Native Thyme Bak-Ri-Hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.)". Molecules. 27 (13): 4251. doi: 10.3390/molecules27134251 . ISSN   1420-3049. PMC   9268194 . PMID   35807496.
  11. "How to grow thyme". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  12. Margaret, Easter. "Thymus Nomenclature". Thymus. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  13. Hammoudi Halat, Dalal; Krayem, Maha; Khaled, Sanaa; Younes, Samar (2022-05-18). "A Focused Insight into Thyme: Biological, Chemical, and Therapeutic Properties of an Indigenous Mediterranean Herb". Nutrients. 14 (10): 2104. doi: 10.3390/nu14102104 . ISSN   2072-6643. PMC   9147557 . PMID   35631245.
  14. 1 2 Hosseini, Naser; Ghorbanpour, Mansour; Mostafavi, Hossein (2024-02-13). "Habitat potential modelling and the effect of climate change on the current and future distribution of three Thymus species in Iran using MaxEnt". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 3641. Bibcode:2024NatSR..14.3641H. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-53405-5. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   10864348 . PMID   38351276.
  15. Patel, Vinood B.; Preedy, Victor R. (2020). Toxicology: oxidative stress and dietary antioxidants. London: Academic press, an imprint of Elsevier. ISBN   978-0-12-819092-0.
  16. Nieto, Gema (2020-07-30). "A Review on Applications and Uses of Thymus in the Food Industry". Plants. 9 (8): 961. doi: 10.3390/plants9080961 . ISSN   2223-7747. PMC   7464319 . PMID   32751488.
  17. Kuete, Victor (2017). Medicinal spices and vegetables from Africa: therapeutic potential against metabolic, inflammatory, infectious and systemic diseases. [Amsterdam] London: Elsevier Academic press. ISBN   978-0-12-809286-6.
  18. Kim, Minju; Sowndhararajan, Kandhasamy; Kim, Songmun (January 2022). "The Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oil from Korean Native Thyme Bak-Ri-Hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.)". Molecules. 27 (13): 4251. doi: 10.3390/molecules27134251 . ISSN   1420-3049. PMC   9268194 . PMID   35807496.

Sources