Shirazi thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss.) belongs to the Lamiaceae family, an aromatic perennial shrub native to Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In the present study, diversity of thirty-one Zataria multiflora populations (ZMPs), collected from different geographical regions of Iran was studied based on total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), rosmarinic acid (RA) content, antioxidant and antibacterial activity for further consideration in domestication, breeding and cultivation programs. RA content of studied ZMPs ranged between 1.48.0 mg/g dry weight (DW). The minimum (9.6 § 0.6 mg GAE/g DW) and maximum (43.8 § 2.9 mg GAE/g DW) TPC was observed in ZMP27 (Sirjan1) and ZMP22 (Konar Siah) populations, respectively. TFC varied from 54.6 § 2.2 to 137.0 § 2.9 mg rutin/g DW. Antioxidant activity (IC50) of ZMPs extracts ranged from 0.03 to 32 mg/mL. Broth microdilution procedure was utilized to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against ten pathogenic bacteria. The plant extracts were found to be effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Our findings revealed that some Iranian ZMPs are potential sources of beneficial compounds with health-preventing effects, which can be exploited agricultural systems for further uses in food and pharmaceutical industries. Consequently, habitat suitability of Z. multiflora was depicted by frequency ratio (FR) model based on altitude, averages of annual rainfall and annual temperature. This information can be considered for further habitat modeling to find suitable cultivation areas for this economic medicinal and aromatic plant.
