Mastic thyme

Thymus mastichina, the Spanish marjoram or mastic thyme, is an aromatic dwarf shrub of the family Lamiaceae growing 10 to 50 cm tall, woody and much-branched at the base. The small, oval to elliptical, greyish-green leaves are softly hairy and dotted with oil glands. The flowers are creamy-white and gathered into dense, rounded, head-like terminal clusters that are conspicuously surrounded by woolly bracts, giving the inflorescence a soft, pompon-like appearance distinct from common thyme. The whole plant has a strong, sweet, eucalyptus-like aroma owing to an essential oil rich in 1,8-cineole. It flowers in late spring and summer. Endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, Spanish marjoram grows on dry, sunny, sandy and rocky scrubland, heath and open woodland. It is widely used as a culinary flavouring and its oil is produced commercially.