Thymelaea

The genus name Thymelaea is a combination of the Greek name for the herb thyme θύμος (thúmos) and that for the olive ἐλαία (elaía) - in reference to its thyme-like foliage and olive-like fruit; while the English name Sparrow-wort (used by Thomas Green in his Universal Herbal, published 1820) is a translation of the name of the genus Passerina (in which Thymelaea was formerly placed), derived from the word passer "sparrow" - given the plants in reference to a perceived similarity of the shape of the fruit to a sparrow's beak. ==Species==

33 species are accepted. • Thymelaea antiatlantica • Thymelaea argentata • Thymelaea aucheri • Thymelaea broteriana • Thymelaea bulgarica • Thymelaea calycina • Thymelaea cilicica • Thymelaea × conradiae • Thymelaea coridifolia • Thymelaea dioica • Thymelaea elliptica • Thymelaea gattefossei • Thymelaea granatensis • Thymelaea gussonei • Thymelaea hirsuta • Thymelaea lanuginosa • Thymelaea lythroides • Thymelaea mesopotamica • Thymelaea microphylla • Thymelaea passerina – spurge flax • Thymelaea procumbens • Thymelaea pubescens • Thymelaea putorioides • Thymelaea ruizii • Thymelaea salsa • Thymelaea sanamunda • Thymelaea sempervirens • Thymelaea subrepens • Thymelaea tarton-raira • Thymelaea tinctoria • Thymelaea velutina • Thymelaea villosa • Thymelaea virescens • Thymelaea virgata ==References==