Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Melissa officinalis
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Lemon Balm at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Melissa officinalis
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melissa officinalis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Melissa officinalis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-26-001:
Melissa officinalis FAMILY Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Melissa officinalis
COMMON NAME:
Lemon Balm
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_meof2_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm200804_6809
August Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Leaves are lemon-scented and ovate with scalloped margins, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm200804_6810
August Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Flowers about 1/2 inch long with very short lips, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Melissa officinalis
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Melissa officinalis
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melissa officinalis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Melissa officinalis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-26-001:
Melissa officinalis
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Melissa officinalis
3337
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: west Asia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
Petioles 1-4cm long
Margins crenate
FLOWER:
Summer
Pale blue, white
Bilaterally symmetrical
2-lipped 5-toothed calyx
2-lipped corolla, upper lip two-toothed, lower lip three-lobed
4 exserted stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer?
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".