Wild thyme or Common thyme: how to tell them apart?
Wild thyme and Common thyme look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Wild thyme
Thymus serpyllum
Common thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Common thyme has an upright, bushy habit with stems woody at the base and narrow, rolled leaves, whereas wild thyme is creeping, forming a low carpet, with broader, ovate leaves.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, tiny, ovate, very aromatic
Evergreen, tiny, linear, grey-green, very aromatic
🌸 Flowers
Small pink-mauve flowers in dense cushions
Small pale pink to mauve flowers in short spikes, very rich in nectar
🍎 Fruits
Small dry achenes
Small dry achenes
🪵 Bark
Creeping stems forming a very low carpet
Low woody stems, cushion-forming habit
📏 Size
5 to 10 cm tall, forming a carpet
10 to 30 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Rock gardens, dry grassland, gardens, poor free-draining soils
Garrigue, vegetable gardens, rock gardens, dry, free-draining soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity, aromatic plant.
No toxicity at usual culinary doses; concentrated essential oil is not recommended for uncontrolled internal use.
🔎 And from the Common thyme side
Common thyme has an upright, bushy habit with stems that are woody at the base and narrow, rolled leaves, whereas wild thyme is creeping, forming a low mat, with broader, ovate leaves.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.