2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Creeping thyme (Latin Thymus serpyllum) - perennial, beautifully blooming, fragrant shrub of the genus
Thyme (Latin Thymus)belonging to the family
Lamiaceae (lat. Lamiaceae) … A widely used name for one of the types of Thyme is “
Thyme"Refers specifically to" Creeping thyme. " Like its brethren, creeping thyme is a popular culinary spice, and also has healing powers that are actively used by humans.
Description
Creeping thyme is a low-growing dwarf shrub that spreads over the surface of the earth, protecting the soil from solar overheating, preserving life-giving moisture in it, creating comfortable living conditions for underground micro-inhabitants. It is not for nothing that the people lovingly call it "Bogorodskaya grass".
The woody stems of the shrub do not strive in height, rising above the ground by five to fifteen centimeters, but spread over the surface, forming a picturesque carpet worthy of the artist's brush. The shrub is quite tolerant to trampling, and therefore is actively used by gardeners and landscape designers as a ground cover plant.
Oblong-elliptically, the leaves are as small as those of Thyme, but, unlike the latter, the edges of the leaf blade are not prone to folding, and the tip of the leaf does not bend, having a rounded shape. The leaves are attached to the stems with short petioles. The leaf tissue is equipped with glands, in which essential oil accumulates, exuding a spicy aroma throughout the garden.
In summer, numerous compact capitate inflorescences appear on erect peduncles, which make the living carpet even more picturesque. Inflorescences attract butterflies and insects, including hardworking bees collecting pollen and nectar for themselves and for people. The inflorescences are formed by two-lipped small flowers, the corolla petals of which are usually pink or lilac. The flower consists of a tubular calyx and an irregularly shaped hairy corolla. The upper petal of the corolla has incisions, and the lower one is larger than two lateral petals and consists of three flattened petals that form a lip. Each flower has four protruding stamens and two united carpels.
The culmination of the growing season is the dry fruit, which has the botanical name "schizocarp" (a striking example of "schizocarp" is the Mallow fruit), consisting of four chambers with independent fruits.
Usage
Thyme's ability to quickly create a topsoil that is scenic and aromatic, able to compete with other groundcover grasses, has made it a popular cultivated plant in temperate Eurasian lands. It is used as a border plant, to create a lawn, to decorate alpine slides and stone gardens, as well as for walking paths with an average level of movement along them, since the plant is resistant to trampling and unpretentious to the composition and structure of the soil. Breeders have bred numerous varieties, the plants of which differ in color of leaves and flowers, so gardeners have plenty to choose from in order to satisfy their tastes and the needs of their own garden.
Creeping thyme is perfect for beekeeping, as aromatic nectar accumulates in its flowers, from which tireless bees produce fragrant and healing honey.
The chemical composition of the aerial parts of Creeping Thyme is similar to the chemical composition of the medicinal Thyme ordinary, however, the content of such an important component as "thymol" (40 percent of the phenolic fraction) in its essential oil is somewhat lower. This does not prevent perfumers from using creeping thyme for the production of their products, fragrant with the pleasant aroma of the plant's essential oil.
Creeping thyme is famous not only for its aroma, but also for its spicy taste that can spice up lamb and pork dishes, as well as other meat delicacies. Fans of spices add Thyme creeping to cheese, cottage cheese, mushrooms, fish. Young leaves are added to salads, they flavor drinks, including tea, they are used for pickling cucumbers …
Healing abilities
Thyme creeping keeps up with its cousin, Common Thyme, when it comes to healing abilities. Thyme herb is in demand not only among traditional healers, but also in official medicine. Grass is used to treat respiratory diseases, ranging from colds to tuberculosis.
Traditional healers use the herb Thyme in a wider range, resorting to its help to put in order the nervous system, heal wounds on the skin, fight rheumatism …
The aroma of creeping thyme can scare away evil spirits from the dwelling.
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Creeping Gorchak
Creeping gorchak is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae or Compositae. In Latin, the name of this plant will sound like this: Acroptilon repens (L.). As for the name of the family of creeping mustard, in Latin it will be as follows:
Tenacious Creeping
Tenacious creeping is one of the plants of the family called labiates, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Ajuga reptans L. As for the name of the family of the creeping tenacious, in Latin it will be like this: Lamiaceae Lindl.
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping cinquefoil is one of the plants of the family called Rosaceae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Potentilla reptans L. As for the name of the creeping Potentilla family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Rosaceae Juss.
Creeping Buttercup
Creeping buttercup is one of the plants of the family called buttercups, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Ranunculus repens L. As for the name of the creeping buttercup family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Ranunculaceae Juss.
Forget-me-not Creeping
Forget-me-not creeping (lat.Myosotis decumbens) - a herbaceous flowering creeping plant of the genus Forget-me-not (Latin Myosotis), which is a member of the Borage family (Latin Boraginaceae). It is a thin-rhizome perennial cold-resistant plant that lives in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
