No. 3 in a Series of 253,486.

THYME (Thymus). Several related species of the genus Thymus have culinary uses, but the most common of them, as its specific name implies, is T. vulgaris, the common or garden thyme. It may be used fresh or dried, sometimes as whole sprigs and sometimes as leaves only with the stems discarded. Thyme is relatively easy to grow, and some varieties make excellent ornamental plantings as well as culinary herbs. Newtonian thyme (T. newtonii), for example, brings a calming sense of order to the herb garden. Care must be taken, however, in planting some of the more exotic varieties. Relativistic thyme (T. lorentzi) presents entirely different aspects to different observers, in extreme cases plunging a garden into confusion and chaos and causing endless arguments among one’s guests. Planck thyme (T. minimus), the smallest variety, is so tiny that standard horticultural theory tends to break down at this level; this species should be left to expert gardeners who are prepared to cope with its unusual demands. In folk wisdom it is said that “thyme waits for no man,” a property also attributed to the closely related herb thyde.