An essential ingredient in the cook's most basic bouquet garni, thyme has been cultivated since the days of ancient Greece for its strongly aromatic, slightly pungent foliage. The low, shrubby perennials in this large genus of more than 100 species vary from 1 to 12 inches in height and can be differentiated by the appearance and fragrance of their leaves, the upright or reclining position of their stems, and their flowers. In the early summer, rose, lilac, pink, crimson, or white flowers appear at the ends of the stems or in whorls where the upper leaves join the stem.
Bees love the flowers.
Common thyme and lemon thyme are popular for cooking while wild thyme is chiefly grown as an ornamental garden herb. Lemon thyme closely resembles common thyme except for its intense lemon scent. Its leaves are slightly broader and its stems semitrailing. The numerous varieties of wild thyme differ in flower color and the size and shape of the leaves. Except for the Gulf states, thymes grow throughout the United States.