Thymus praecox is a species of thyme. A common name is mother of thyme, but "creeping thyme" and "wild thyme" may be used where Thymus serpyllum, which also shares these names, is not found. It is native to central, southern, and western Europe.
Classification
Thymus praecox is in the genus Thymus belonging to the Serpyllum section. It has sometimes been reclassified as T. polytrichus.
Subspecies and cultivars
Thymus praecox subspecies and cultivars include:
- Thymus praecox subsp. praecox
- Thymus praecox 'Doone Valley' (recently reclassified as a hybrid under the name Thymus 'Doone Valley')
- Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Albus' (white moss thyme)
- Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Languinosus' (woolly thyme)
- Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Hall's Woolly'
- Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Pink Chintz' (recently reclassified as Thymus serpyllum 'Pink Chintz'
- Thymus praecox subsp. skorpilii (Velen.) Jalas. Found in the wild in Bosnia. Some of those areas contain greater chemotype diversity than others.