Thymus longicaulis, C. Presi

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 181

55. T. longicaulis C. Presi , FI. Sic. 37 (1826)

(inch T. illyricus Ronniger , T. kosaninii Ronniger , T. lykae Degen & Jâv. , T. malyi Ronniger , T. moesiacus Velen. , T. rohlenae Velen. , T. serpyllum subsp. dalmaticus (Reichenb.) Nyman ).

Plant with long, somewhat woody, creeping branches, non-flowering or with a terminal inflorescence. Flowering stems borne in rows, each with a basal cluster of small leaves, slender, usually not more than 10 cm, hairy all round or on 2 opposite sides. Leaves at least 1 mm wide, linear-lanceolate to elliptical, herbaceous (sometimes fleshy), ciliate at the base; lateral veins more or less indistinct; marginal vein absent. Bracts similar to the leaves. Calyx 2-5- 3- 5 mm, with tube campanulate, usually shorter than upper lip; upper teeth longer than wide. Corolla purple. 2n = 30, more than 50, 58. S. Europe, westwards to S.E. France. Al?Au Bu Ga Gr?He?Hu It Ju Rm Si Tu [Ge]. The wide variation found within this species includes two different levels of polyploidy, but it is not yet known whether these are correlated with any morphological or geographical features. There seem to be no grounds so far for recognizing any of the variants at subspecific level. The species is connected by numerous, probably hybridogeneous, intermediates with 35, 41, 43, 56 and 61.

T. dolomiticus Coste , Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 40: 130 (1893), from S. France, should probably be included in 55 as a subspecies. It is characterized by a diploid chromosome number (2zz = 28), flowering stems hairy all round, leaves 5-7 x 1-1-5 mm, hairy, and calyx 3-4 mm, with tube shorter than lips.

A tetraploid plant (2« =54), which is more widespread in S. France, characterized by stems incompletely hairy on opposite sides, leaves c. 11x2-5 mm, glabrous, subcoriaceous, with slightly more prominent venation than in 55, and calyx 3-5- 4- 5 mm with almost cylindrical tube as long or slightly longer than lips, does not seem to differ significantly from T. embergeri

Roussine, Ree. Trav. Montpellier (Sér. Bot.) 5: 79 (1952), also from France, for which, however, the chromosome number 2« = 48 has been reported.

T. sintenisii Celak. , Flora (Regensb.) 67: 537 (1884), from Turkey-in-Europe (Eceabat), may belong here. It has stems hairy all round; leaves 9-11 x 1-2-1-5 mm, shortly petiolate, linear-lanceolate, obtuse, with a weakly prominent midrib and almost invisible lateral veins; calyx c. 5 mm, with upper lip longer than tube and upper teeth 0-8-1 mm. The bracts and corolla are unknown.

T. adamovicii Velen. , Beih. Bot. Centr. 19(2): 282 (1906), from C. Jugoslavia (near Gornji Milanovac), also with stems hairy all round, has elliptical leaves up to 9 x 2-5 mm, with subrevolute margins and more prominent midrib, densely covered by very short and stiff, one-celled hairs, and the calyx c. 3 mm, broadly campanulate, with subulate, nearly herbaceous lower teeth and upper teeth c. 0-5 mm, as long as wide. It may also belong here.