I found a nice site that has a great page about Thymus capitatus:

=> https://www.west-crete.com/flowers/thymus_capitatus.htm

It's a site to encourage tourism in West Crete called "Visit West Crete".

There are three great photos, including one showing the plant growing in
situ from in between what look like coastal rocks.

The author says:

> Thyme is one of the most common phrygana shrubs in Crete and is found
> in dry locations, phrygana and stony locations.

The word "phrygana" stood out to me. According to Wikipedia:

> Garrigue or garigue, also known as phrygana (Greek: φρύγανα), is a type
> of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean
> forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

> It is found on limestone soils in southern France and around the
> Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast where the moderated
> Mediterranean climate provides annual summer drought. It is an
> anthropogenic degradation and succession form of former evergreen oak
> forests that existed until around 2500 years BC.

> The term has also found its way into haute cuisine, suggestive of the
> resinous flavours of a garrigue shrubland.

=> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrigue

Interesting!  Sounds a bit like chaparral, eh?