Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis   L.
Members of Lamiaceae:
Only member of Melissa in NC.
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Section 6 » Order Lamiales » Family Lamiaceae
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AuthorL.
DistributionIn the northern Piedmont and northern Mountains. First collected in the early 1800s in Guilford County (specimen at NY), and in 1893 in Ashe County.

Native of western Asia; in N.A. Que. to Man. south to GA, LA, and OK; also western states.
AbundanceRare to very rare, but still extant in the early 2000s.
HabitatWeed in outdoor animal exhibit (NC Zoo, Randolph Co.), field, disturbed woodland opening.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting June-August.
IdentificationLemon Balm has a sweet lemony scent. It is a perennial species, 1-2 feet tall with stalked, ovate or narrowly triangular leaves that are heavily veined and thus appearing wrinkled. A few flowers occur in the upper leaf axils, pale blue to white.
Taxonomic Comments
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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