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Cat thyme (Teucrium marum)

Description

Teucrium marum, the cat thyme, is a close relative of germander; despite what its name suggests, it is not a thyme. Its small, oval leaves give it a thyme-like appearance, but the musty scent is quite unlike the delicate aroma of thyme, cat thyme is a mounding, tender perennial with grey-green leaves tipped by fragrant pink flowers in summer. Cat thyme, a native of Spain and the Western Mediterranean, will live through the winter in the open, on a dry soil and in a good situation, when the frosts are not severe, though it is frequently killed in hard winters if unprotected by mats or other covering. Older plants can shrub 3 or 4 feet high if grown in a mild climate.

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum:

        • Class: Magnoliopsida

          • Order: Lamiales

            • Family: Lamiaceae

              • Genus: Teucrium