Thymus capitatus


Thymus capitatus is a compact, woody perennial native to Mediterranean Europe and Turkey, more commonly known as conehead thyme, Persian-hyssop and Spanish oregano. It is also known under the name Thymbra capitata.

Description

The plant has rising stems and narrow, fleshy, oil-gland-dotted green leaves that reach a length of.
The pink, -long flowers are held in cone-shaped clusters at the ends of their stems in mid to late summer; they are protected by overlapping, -long, red-tinged bracts, edged in tiny hairs.
In Eurasia, a species of leafless parasitic dodder would often attach itself to the conehead thyme, taking on the plant's pungency and from whence it also derived its host's Arabic name, al-ṣaʿitrah.
Thymus capitatus is hardy from USDA Zones 7-10. In Israel, the plant Thymus capitatus has protected status, making it a criminal offence to harvest it.