Thymus capitellatus

Thymus capitellatus is a small, woody, aromatic subshrub of the mint family endemic to the sandy coastal soils of south-western Portugal, on the Iberian Peninsula. It forms low, much-branched cushions seldom exceeding 30 centimetres, with slender stems clothed in tiny, linear, revolute leaves dotted with fragrant oil glands. The pink to purplish flowers are clustered into dense, rounded, head-like (capitate) inflorescences at the stem tips, subtended by conspicuous bracts, and are visited by bees. The whole plant is strongly scented, its essential oil rich in 1,8-cineole together with borneol, camphene and pinenes. A narrow endemic of restricted range, it is listed as threatened, growing in maritime pine woodland and open, well-drained sandy heath.