Quendel, hummingbird, humility or garden thyme - the different varieties of thyme are known by many common names. The aromatic and medicinal herb has also been cultivated in German-speaking countries since the 11th century, when wandering Benedictine monks brought it with them from Italy.
Thyme was already known to the Egyptians
Already in ancient Egypt, the preservative effect of thyme (then known as "Tham") was used to prepare for mummification. The use of the plant as a medicinal herb was already known. In ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, thyme was also used to treat respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal complaints. Well-known authors such as Theoprastus, Dioskorides and the universally learned Roman Pliny described the various types of use and preparation. The medical abbess Hildegard von Bingen also described thyme in her writings as a medicinal herb in the 12th century - in the late Middle Ages the plant was also a widespread remedy in German-speaking countries.
More than 200 different types
The common thyme, also known as garden thyme, is widespread in many gardens here. However, the species is divided into over 200 subspecies, which not only grow naturally in the dry meadows of southern Europe, the macchia, but also thrive in the warmer regions of Central Europe. Probably the most important type of thyme is the real thyme (Thymus vulgaris, also known as Roman thyme), in addition the following types are often used:
- Lemon Thyme (Thymus x citriodorus)
- Cascade thyme (Thymus longicaulis, particularly pretty in the window box)
- Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
- Field thyme (Thymus pulegioides, also known as Quendel)
occurrence and distribution
Thyme grows wild, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Wild thyme, on the other hand, is more at home in Central Europe and also grows in northern Italy, France and southern Switzerland. The commercially available plants mostly come from France, Spain, Turkey and Morocco, as well as some from Germany. Furthermore, the medicinal herb is widespread around the globe in cultivation areas with a Mediterranean and continental climate.
tips and tricks
The gray cushion thyme (Thymus pseudolanoginosus), which is only about five centimeters high and develops pretty pink flowers, is particularly suitable as a ground-covering, hard-wearing herb in rock gardens.