SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS THYMUS L. IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA

Around 110 species of Thymus occur in the Mediterranean area. Five out of eight sections in which Jalas subdivided the genus are restricted to the Western Mediterranean (Iberian Peninsula and NW Africa) and Macaronesia: Mastichina, Micantes, Piperella, Pseudothymbra and Thymus. Section Mastichina comprises two species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Section Micantes comprises two woody Moroccan species besides the herbaceous looking Iberian and Macaronesian Th. caespititius. The monotypic section Piperella is exclusive to E Spain. Of the nine species included in the long-flowered section Pseudothymbra, seven occur on the Iberian Peninsula and the other two in NW Africa. Section Thymus comprises 11 species, three of them (Th. hyemalis, Th. zygis and Th. willdenowii) distributed both on the Iberian Peninsula and in N Africa, seven are only found on the Iberian Peninsula and one, Th. vulgaris in E Spain, S France and N Italy. Of the remaining three sections, section Teucrioides includes three montane endemic Greek species. Section Hyphodromi comprises 46 species arranged in three subsections: Thymbropsis with 14 N African and Asian species, Subbracteati with 19 C and E Mediterranean species and Serpyllastrum with 13 N Mediterranean species. Section Serpyllum, occurin