Thymus praecox, Opiz

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 181

56. T. praecox Opiz , Naturalientausch 6: 40 (1824).

Plant with long, somewhat woody, creeping branches, non-flowering or with a terminal inflorescence. Flowering stems borne in rows, each with a basal cluster of small leaves, slender, usually not more than 10 cm, hairy all round or on 2 opposite sides. Leaves mostly obovate, broadly spathulate to suborbicular, subcoriaceous, ciliate at the base; lateral veins prominent, marginal veins present in the upper part. Bracts similar to the leaves. Calyx 3-5 mm, with tube campanulate, about equalling upper lip; upper teeth longer than wide. Corolla purple. S., W. & C. Europe. Al Au Be Br Bu Cz Fa Ga Ge G r Hb He Ho Hs Hu Is It Ju No Po Rm?Si?Tu.

Very variable in leaf-shape and indumentum. The following tentative treatment aims to summarize the main features of the geographical variation, although the subspecific boundaries are rather obscure in several places.

1 Stems hairy all round 2Basal leaves on flowering stems petiolate; corolla up to 6 mm

(a) subsp. praecox 2 Basal leaves on flowering stems sessile; corolla up to 8 mm

(b) subsp. skorpilii 1 Stems with hairs mostly on 2 sides only 3 Cauline leaves larger above (c) subsp. polytrichus 3 Cauline leaves about equal 4 Leaves 5-8 mm, mostly obovate, densely glandular-

punctate; calyx 3-4 mm (e) subsp. arcticus 4 Leaves 8-14 mm, linear-spathulate, very sparsely glandular-

punctate; calyx 4-5 mm (d) subsp. zygiformis