Caraway thyme
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
| style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;"|Thymus herba-barona | ||||||||||||||
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| File:Thymus herba barona.jpg | ||||||||||||||
| style="background:#Template:Taxobox colour;" | Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Thymus herba-barona Loisel. |
Thymus herba-barona is a species of thyme native to Corsica, Sardinia and Mallorca, also known by its common name Caraway Thyme. This thyme has a strong scent similar to Caraway, for which it can be used as a substitute in any recipe. It can be used in cuisine or as an evergreen groundcover for gardens.
Caraway Thyme is a creeping, woody herb growing to 10-25 cm high and spreading out across the ground using runners. The leaves are 4-10 mm long, dark green, and hairy. The flowers are pink, produced in late spring and early summer, and are attractive to bees. It grows best in average soil with light watering and full sunlight.
There are two subspecies:
- Thymus herba-barona subsp. herba-barona. Corsica, Sardinia.
- Thymus herba-barona subsp. bivalens. Mallorca.
Cultivation and uses
Caraway Thyme was favoured in England as a seasoning for barons of beef; this inspired its scientific name. It is cultivated in gardens across the world. It is difficult to grow Caraway Thyme from seed, so it is usually purchased as young plants 5-10 cm high, in small pots.