Thymus quinquecostatus
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −28.9 °C
Cultivation
Requires a light well-drained preferably calcareous soil in a sunny position. The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to honey bees. This is a very difficult genus taxonomically, the species hybridize freely with each other and often intergrade into each other.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Seed can also be sown in autumn in a greenhouse. Surface sow or barely cover the seed. Germination can be erratic. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring. Cuttings of young shoots, 5 - 8cm with a heel, May/June in a frame. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Layering.
Edible uses
The plant is the source of an essential oil that is used as a food flavouring.
Medicinal uses
The leaves, and especially the essential oil contained in them, are strongly antiseptic, deodorant and disinfectant.
Material uses
The essential oil obtained from the leaves is also used in perfumery, as a mouth wash, medicinally etc.
Habitat
Dry rocky slopes, less common in scrubby areas, 1700 - 3100 metres in Srinagar.
Native range
E. Asia - Japan, Himalayas, Mongolia.