Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav.
Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Rchb.f., Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link.
Eng.: Conehead thyme. Spa.: Tomillo aceitunero. Ara.: Zaatar, sa’tar, fûdang gabalî.
Shrub or subshrub, hermaphrodite, ± densely covered with short and white hairs. Stems up to 60(80) cm, erect, highly branched. Leaves opposite, sessile, 4-10 × 1-1.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, keeled, green, glabrous or sometimes somewhat hairy on the underside, with numerous spherical glands. Inflorescences terminal, subglobose, in dense spikes of verticillasters, with ovate-lanceolate bracts, ciliate in the lower half. Calyx 3.5-5.5 mm, bilabiate, dorsiventrally compressed, with 2 lateral ciliated keels; tube with 20-22 veins, with reddish spherical glands on the ventral side, with 2 lower teeth (2-2.5 mm) and 3 upper teeth (c. 1 mm). Corolla up to 10 mm, form reddish to pink-purple or violet. Androecium with 4 didynamous stamens, exserted, with purple anthers. Nutlets c. 0.8 mm, spheroid, brown.
Flowering:
Virtually all year round, but especially from May to October.
Fruiting:
About 2 months after flowering.
Habitat:
Thickets, slopes, on chalky, clayey or loamy soils, rarely on somewhat sandy soils.
Distribution:
Circum-Mediterranean. In North Africa it is rare. It is found on hills or limestone mountains in Mediterranean areas of NW Morocco (Adouz region, chalky-western Rif), NW Algeria (Tlemecem Mts.), N Tunisia, N Libya (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) and NW Egypt.
Conservation status:
Uncommon species in North Africa, but for now it is not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
