Conehead thyme
A Mediterranean thyme that flowers in midsummer with abundant nectar; it gives a reliable flow in the dry season and is a main source of classic thyme honey.
- Nectar
- Very good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Slow
- Height
- 0,2-0,5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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A cushion-shaped shrub that spreads over limestone rocks, maquis and phrygana along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Its nectar is abundant and rich in sugar; most of the thyme honey produced in Greece and Crete comes from this species.
Flowering
It flowers in pink-purple heads from June to August. Its greatest advantage is that it gives a flow in the dry summer, when other flowers are scarce. On hot days secretion increases when there is night humidity and light dew; in long, severe drought the flowers dry up early.
Honey and pollen
The honey is light amber, with a sharp, spicy aroma and a strong sweetness. Because of its high fructose content it usually crystallises slowly and with a fine grain. Its pollen contribution is moderate.
Note for the beekeeper
In Turkey, along the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal belt, it blends into thyme honey together with Thymbra spicata and Origanum species. Moving hives to coastal rocks at the end of June is a good way to get through the summer dearth; in the heat, keep a water source close to the apiary.