Mother-Of-Thyme

Description

Plant with long, somewhat woody, creeping branches, non-flowering or with terminal inflorescence. Flowering stems borne in rows, each with a basal cluster of small leaves, slender, usually not more than10 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 pubescent in the upper part. Bracts similar to the leaves. Calyx 3-5 mm, with tube campanulate, about equalling upper lip, upper teethlonger than wide; corolla purple (description for T. praecox; ssp. arcticus is separated out as follows): leaves 5-8 mm, mostly obovate, densely glandular-punctate; calyx 3-4 mm.