Thymus caespititius

Thymus caespititius is a dwarf, aromatic mat-forming groundcover shrub. It is native to oceanic areas in the Iberian Peninsula (northwest Portugal and northwest Spain) and the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira.

Thymus caespititius
Thymus caespititius on Mount Pico
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Thymus
Species:	T. caespititius
Binomial name
Thymus caespititius Brot.

The plant has narrow, spatula-shaped, smooth leaves to 6 mm (0.24 in) long, fringed with tiny hairs. The rose, lilac or white flowers are borne in small, flattened mat-hugging heads from late spring to summer.

Cultivation

Thymus caespititius, grown as an ornamental plant, and is hardy down to USDA Zone 7.^[1][2] The cultivar Thymus caespititius 'Aureus' has narrow, light gold leaves.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  Ericoid foliage of Thymus caespititius
• 
  Patch of Thymus caespititius with Daboecia azorica in background, Pico Island
• 
  Blooming specimen in lava crevice