Melissa officinalis

Classification	Dicots
Family	Lamiaceae
Family (Traditional)	Lamiaceae
Genus	Melissa
Species:	Melissa officinalis L.
Common Name	Balm; Lemon Balm
Growth Habit	forb
Plant Notes	**
Characteristics	Armaments: No; Milky Sap: No; Photosynthetic: Yes; Stipules: No; Woody Herbaceous: Herbaceous; Duration: Perennial; General Ecology: Terrestrial; Growth Habit: forb; Moisture Requirements: Dry-mesic; Moisture Requirements: Mesic; Region of Origin: Asia; Reproductive Phenology: June; Reproductive Phenology: July; Reproductive Phenology: August; Leaf Arrangement: opposite; Leaf Complexity: simple; Leaf Dissection: 0; Leaf Persistance: Deciduous; Leaf Type: broadleaf; Leaflet Number: 0; Anther Type: Dorsifixed; Base Flower Color: White; Carpel Number/Pistil: 2; Fruit Dehiscence: No; Fruit Type: Nut; Fruit Type: Nutlet; Fruit Type: Schizocarp; Fruit Wet/Dry: Dry; Hypanthium Present: No; Ovary Position: Superior; Overall Flower Symmetry: Zygomorphic; Ovules per Carpel: 1; Ovules per Carpel: 2; Ovules per Carpel: 3; Ovules per Carpel: 4; Perianth Present: Yes; Pistil Number: 1; Placentation Type: Axillary; Sexuality: monoclinous; Sporangium Arrangement: N/A; Stamen Number: 4
C value	N/A
Status	Not Native; AGCP (UPL), EMP (UPL) (NWPL); TN[SNA] KY[SNA] (State Rank); GNR (Global Rank)
Specimen(s)	View and Download Specimen Details »

** Not applicable or data not available.

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Species Distribution Map

This species has been reported in the counties highlighted in the interactive distribution map below. Click on a county to display the its name. Click the question mark icon () to view additional information about the ecoregions shown. In the map legend, there are links to toggle the visibility of the ecoregions and/or their labels. In addition, clicking on an ecoregion name will highlight that region on the map.

State Boundaries
Counties
Counties - Species Present

Ecoregions

Southeastern Plains
- Blackland Prarie
Blue Ridge Mountains
Ridge and Valley
Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Mountains
Allegheny Plateau

Interior Plateau
- Bluegrass Region
- Nashville Basin
- Pennyroyal Karst Plain
- Western Highland Rim
- Eastern Highland Rim

Interior River Valleys and Hills
- Shawnee / Caseyville Hills
Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Mississippi Valley Loess Plains
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Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort.

Counties included on distribution map: Campbell (KY), Madison (KY), Davidson (TN), Grainger (TN), Greene (TN), Knox (TN), McMinn (TN), Montgomery (TN), Sevier (TN), Unicoi (TN), Washington (TN)

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: APSC, EKY, BEREA, TENN, ETSU, KNK

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1981 - 2014

Accession No. (click for full details)	County	State	Coll. Date	Collector & Collection No.	Herbarium & Herbarium Name Used
31234100497989	Madison	Kentucky	15 Sep 1985	David D. Taylor 9878	EKY Melissa officinalis
31234100497997	Madison	Kentucky	25 Jun 1981	David D. Taylor 354	EKY Melissa officinalis
BEREA015785	Madison	Kentucky			BEREA Melissa officinalis
N/A	Unicoi	Tennessee	29 Jun 2014	Frosty Levy	ETSU Melissa officinalis
31973000014785	Campbell	Kentucky			KNK Melissa officinalis
BEREA015784	Madison	Kentucky			BEREA Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189585	McMinn	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189584	Knox	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
APSC0012119	Montgomery	Tennessee			APSC Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189583	Knox	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189582	Grainger	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189587	Sevier	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0210260	Davidson	Tennessee		A. Gattinger	TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189589	Sevier	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189586	McMinn	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
TENN-V-0189588	Sevier	Tennessee			TENN Melissa officinalis
ETSU008501	Washington	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis
ETSU018710	Greene	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis
ETSU018711	Washington	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis
ETSU018713	Washington	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis
ETSU018712	Washington	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis
ETSU018709	Unicoi	Tennessee			ETSU Melissa officinalis

View a List of All Ecological Communities

Melissa officinalis

Related Links

Species Distribution Map

Ecoregions

Synonyms

Specimens and Distribution

Plant Photos