Sand thyme
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Sand thyme ( Thymus serpyllum ) |
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The sand-thyme or field thyme ( Thymus serpyllum ), also thyme , caraway and Rain caraway , is a plant of the genus thyme ( Thymus ) within the family Labiatae (Lamiaceae). There are two known subspecies.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The sand thyme is an evergreen, ground-covering subshrub that reaches heights of 2 to 10 centimeters. The branches are always hairy all around. The leaves are linear to narrowly elliptical or obovate, 1 to 3 millimeters wide and short-stalked or sessile. They are hardly different in size and shape on the flower stems. The top pair of lateral nerves is usually lost, it does not unite to form a marginal nerve. The leaves are ciliate at the base, the blade is rarely hairy. Your lateral nerves protrude bluntly on the underside.
Generative characteristics
The flowering period extends from July to September. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The upper calyx teeth are broadly triangular and about as long as wide at the base.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24; based on the basic chromosome number x = 12, there is diploidy .
ecology
The sand thyme is a Chamaephyte .
Occurrence
The sand thyme occurs in cool to temperate areas . A large part of the area is in the sub-ocean area. With the increase in oceanity , there is a concentration on continental areas. It is common in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe. The main area of distribution is in Central and Eastern Europe . The northern border in Russia runs at 65 ° north latitude, to the east a few outposts extend to the Urals . The southern border of the main area runs at 50 ° north latitude and extends in the west to the Netherlands and Denmark . Outside the closed area there are few occurrences in south-east England , in France , in southern Germany , in the area of the former Yugoslavia and in Hungary .
In Central Europe it is rare in the lowlands, west of the Elbe it occurs sporadically, but is also absent there in certain areas; In the sandy areas between the Main and Neckar estuaries , on the middle Main , in the Regnitz basin and between Hallertau and Danube, as well as in the Vienna basin , it occurs rarely, but there it usually forms small populations with a large number of individuals; it is absent in Switzerland.
The sand thyme thrives on dry sand , in dry pine forests and on silicate rock corridors . In Central Europe it populates gappy, sandy lawns and light, sandy pine forests, but it also walks on dunes . The sand thyme avoids lime ( calcifuge ). It therefore thrives best on loose, sandy soils with little lime, which may be poor in fine soil (less than 2-3 mm), but should contain some humus . In Central Europe it is a character species of the order of the sand societies (Corynephoretalia canescentis), but also occurs in societies of the Cytiso-Pinion (pine forests).
Systematics
The sand thyme ( Thymus serpyllum L. ) has the following synonyms: Thymus campestris Salisb. , Serpyllum vulgare Fourr. , Origanum serpyllum (L.) Kuntze and Thymus serpyllum var. Canescens C.A.Mey.
One can distinguish the following subspecies:
- Thymus serpyllum subsp. serpyllum : It occurs from Europe to Siberia .
- Thymus serpyllum subsp. tanaensis (Hyl.) Jalas : It occurs in Norway , Finland and northern Russia.
use
The sand thyme is scattered or rarely used as an ornamental plant in rock gardens, borders and natural gardens, in sandy areas also in heather gardens. There are several varieties.
The above-ground parts are dried and used as herbal remedies (common herb, Serpylli herba). They contain the active ingredients terpenes , carvacrol and thymol . An infusion of sand thyme is used for flu-like infections. The essential quendel oil (oleum serphyllii) is obtained from the flowering herb .
Sand thyme is a relatively good pasture for bees . On an area of 1 hectare passed with it, a honey yield of up to 149 kg per flowering season can result.
literature
- Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Excursion flora from Germany . Founded by Werner Rothmaler. tape 5 : Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants . Springer, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 .
- Siegmund Seybold : Flora of Germany and neighboring countries. A book for identifying vascular plants that grow wild and often cultivated . Founded by Otto Schmeil , Jost Fitschen . 93rd completely revised and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2006, ISBN 3-494-01413-2 .
Web links
- Thymus serpyllum L., sand thyme. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Sand thyme . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
- Distribution map in the northern hemisphere
- Thomas Meyer: Thyme data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
Individual evidence
- ^ Friedrich Wilhelm Looff: General foreign dictionary. Bener, Langensalza 1870, p. 781.
- ↑ a b c sand thyme. In: FloraWeb.de.
- ↑ a b c d e Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: The flowering plants of Central Europe . 2nd Edition. tape 4 : Nightshade plants to daisy plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08048-X .
- ↑ a b c d e Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi, Arno Wörz (eds.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg . tape 6 : Special part (Spermatophyta, subclass Asteridae): Valerianaceae to Asteraceae . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1996, ISBN 3-8001-3343-1 .
- ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 814-815 .
- ↑ a b c d Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Thymus serpyllum. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Rudolf Hänsel et al .: Pharmacognosie - Phytopharmazie. 8. revised u. updated edition, Springer, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-540-34256-4 .
- ↑ Josef Lipp et al .: Handbook of Apiculture - The Honey. 3. rework. Edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-7417-0 , p. 38.