Territory EUROPE: mediterranean
rocky slopes

Description compact, leaves linear, 6-10mm long, nearly glabrous, floral bracts imbricate, ovate to lanceolate, greenish, ciliate, flowers to 10mm long, in oblong, conical spike

A compact aromatic cushion-like shrublet with narrow glandular leaves. The pink flowers appear between May and October grouped in dense rounded terminal heads.

Thyme is one of the dominant plants of garigue vegetation and is common all over Cyprus from sea level to 2,900 ft on dry rocky slopes and waste ground, occasionally on sand dunes or rocks by the sea. The rounded shape of the plant acts to reduce water loss to a minimum allowing it to survive long periods of drought undamaged.