Ajwain

A really interesting herb used in a lot of Ethiopian cooking and spice blends. Its Amharic (the common language of Ethiopia) name is "na...Read Morech azmud." Seeds contain about %50 thyme oil and though they are very small, they pack a powerful punch of thyme flavor.

In Texas, this plant is easy to grow from seed; however, because its umbels produce so many small seeds so freely, it can self sow aggressively if not kept in check and it has the hardiness of a weed. I have had plants grow through every month of the year though they do best in whatever you might consider Houston's spring and early fall. They are pretty drought tolerant but grow best with regular watering.

Correctly called Trachyspermum copticum. Known as Ajwain in its native India.

Incorrectly called "Bishop's Weed" (which i...Read Mores Ammi majus) due to its similar appearance to Bishop's Weed to the English, a plant primarily found and grown in India for its caraway-appearance spicy seeds which are used in Indian flatbread (Paratha) and taste somewhat like thyme and caraway.

Note the Wikipedia article for Ajwain, which explains the plant and also the confusion and terminology errors associated with the plant's history.

The ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) no longer accepts the descriptive terms Ammi copticum, Carum copticum or Trachyspermum ammi for this plant.