Spanish thyme
Lippia micromera · Verbenaceae
Spanish thyme (Lippia micromera) is a perennial shrub in the Verbenaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 2.5 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Soil pH | 6.1–7.8 USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It is recorded on soils from pH 6.1 to 7.8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 2.5 ft, making it about knee height.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is yellow-green. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 29 to 80 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Resilience and wildlife
It can resprout after its top growth is damaged, so it tolerates being cut back hard. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- fragrant dracaena Dracaena fragrans
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol LIMI6, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, flower conspicuous, foliage color, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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