NameThatPlant.net: Melissa officinalis

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 VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-26-001:

Melissa officinalis FAMILY Lamiaceae

COMMON NAME:
Lemon Balm

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 VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-26-001:
Melissa officinalis FAMILY Lamiaceae

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.

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
Bisexual

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".