Abstract

The plant Thymus is one of the largest and the most famous genus of Lamiacae. Thymusspecies are commonly used as herbal tea, condiment, spice and medicinal plants.Thymus daenensis Celak is an endemic species grown in Iran. The production of secondary metabolites in different ecosystems is affected by genetic and environmental factors. This study was conducted to determine variation of plant properties and effect of ecological factors on plant properties in different populations of T. daenensis in different regions of Iran (Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Provinces) on April to June 2009. The results showed that height plant and date of flowering between populations of T. daenensishad significant difference (P ≤ 0.05). Also, our investigation showed that there is a positive and linear relationship between content of thymol as major component with elevation. So we can conclude that the best place for the production of quantity effective materials this plant in order to attain the best results, is the height between 2400 to 2800 m above sea level.

Key words: Thymus daenensis, ecological factors, variation, population.