Thymelaea

Thymelaea (the sparrow-worts) is a genus of about 30 species of evergreen shrubs and herbs in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae, native to the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean region, north to central Europe, and east to central Asia.

Thymelaea
Thymelaea hirsuta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Thymelaeaceae
Subfamily:	Thymelaeoideae
Genus:	Thymelaea Mill. (1754), nom. cons.
Type species
Thymelaea sanamunda
Species[1]
33; see text
Synonyms[1]
Chlamydanthus C.A.Mey. (1843) Gastrilia Raf. (1838) Giardia C.Gerber (1899), non Giardia Künstler (1882). Ligia Fasano (1788) Pausia Raf. (1838) Piptochlamys C.A.Mey. (1843) Sanamunda Neck. (1790), opus utique oppr. Tartonia Raf. (1840)

Etymology

The genus name Thymelaea is a combination of the Greek name for the herb thyme θύμος (thúmos) and that for the olive ἐλαία (elaía) - in reference to its thyme-like foliage and olive-like fruit; while the English name Sparrow-wort (used by Thomas Green in his 18th century Universal Herbal) is a translation of the name of the genus Passerina (in which Thymelaea was formerly placed), derived from the word passer "sparrow" - given the plants in reference to a perceived similarity of the shape of the fruit to a sparrow's beak.^[2]

Species

33 species are accepted.^[1]

Thymelaea antiatlantica Maire Thymelaea argentata (Lam.) Pau Thymelaea aucheri Meisn. Thymelaea broteriana Cout. Thymelaea bulgarica Cheshm. Thymelaea calycina (Lapeyr.) Meisn. Thymelaea cilicica Meisn. Thymelaea × conradiae Aboucaya & Médail Thymelaea coridifolia (Lam.) Endl. Thymelaea dioica (Gouan) All. Thymelaea elliptica (Boiss.) Endl. Thymelaea gattefossei H.K.Tan Thymelaea granatensis (Pau) Lacaita Thymelaea gussonei Boreau Thymelaea hirsuta (L.) Endl. Thymelaea lanuginosa (Lam.) Ceballos & C.Vicioso Thymelaea lythroides Barratte & Murb.

Thymelaea mesopotamica (C.Jeffrey) B.Peterson Thymelaea microphylla Coss. & Durieu Thymelaea passerina (L.) Coss. & Germ. – spurge flax Thymelaea procumbens A.Fern. & R.Fern. Thymelaea pubescens (L.) Meisn. Thymelaea putorioides Emb. & Maire Thymelaea ruizii Loscos ex Casav. Thymelaea salsa Murb. Thymelaea sanamunda All. Thymelaea sempervirens Murb. Thymelaea subrepens Lange Thymelaea tarton-raira (L.) All. Thymelaea tinctoria (Pourr.) Endl. Thymelaea velutina (Pourr. ex Cambess.) Endl. Thymelaea villosa (L.) Endl. Thymelaea virescens Meisn. Thymelaea virgata (Desf.) Endl.