Download Melissa officinalis, Lemon Balm

LAMIACEAE
Melissa officinalis, Lemon Balm
mah – lis – uh oh – fis – in – al – us
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Description: Intensely lemon-scented, heart-shaped leaves on stems up to 2 ½ feet
high.
Origin: Southern Europe and North Africa.
Height x width: 3 feet tall and wide.
Growth habit: Roughly upright to mounding.
Foliage: Opposite leaves, ovate, crenate or serrate margins, 1 to 2 inches long and
1 inch wide, pubescent.
Flowers: Produces inconspicuous white or pale yellow flowers in summer and fall.
Attract bees. Flower spikes may lend an unattractive, scraggly look to the plant.
Culture: Easy to grow in well-drained, average to sandy soil and full sun to light
shade. Deadhead to prevent self-sowing and keep foliage from yellowing. Thin out
thickly growing clumps to prevent powdery mildew. Unlike other mints, it does not
produce rapidly spreading runners, but does reseed.
Uses: Herb garden, perennial border.
Other facts of interest: The word Melissa is Greek for bee.
Propagation: Division, seed.