Thymus cherlerioides, Vis.

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 : 176

14. T. cherlerioides Vis. , ///. Pi. Grecia'. 8 (1842)

( T. boissieri Halâcsy , T. hirsutus auct., non Bieb.; incl. T. pseudohumillimus Klokov & Schost. , T. tauricus Klokov & Schost. ).

Caespitose, with long, creeping branches bearing axillary leafclusters and erect flowering stems 1-8 cm. Leaves 4-10(-15)x 0-3-1 mm, linear to linear-lanceolate, sessile, glabrous or puberulent to velutinous, usually herbaceous; veins indistinct; margins more or less revolute, cibate at least in basal half. Bracts up to 2-5 mm wide, more or less similar to the leaves, sometimes purple. Calyx 3-5-5 mm, tubular-campanulate; upper teeth 1-2 mm, lanceolate, usually cibate and purple. Corolla 5-7 mm, pink; tube cylindrical. 2« = 28. Mountains o f C. part o f Balkan peninsula; Krym. Al Bu G r Ju Rs (K). Variable in leaf- and bract-shape, and indumentum. Some local variants may deserve subspecific rank but a more thorough knowledge is needed of the variation pattern of the species in S.W. Asia.

Most plants from Krym differ from those from the Balkan peninsula in having almost flat leaf-margins. They have been treated as two different species on the basis of indumentum characters and of having cibate ( T. pseudohumillimus ) or non- cibate ( T. tauricus ) upper calyx-teeth. The chromosome number cited refers to plants from Krym.