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Melissa
officinalis L. subsp. officinalis
Standardized Common
Name: Lemon Balm
Other Common Names: Balm, Common Balm,
Melissa
Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Taxonomy: M. officinalis
is the only species of its genus; it is found in most parts of Europe and has
been naturalized in North America. Only subsp. officinalis is
cultivated; the southern European and Russian subsp. altissima (Sibth.
& Sm.) Arcangeli is described by Fernandes as smelling “fetid” and
presumably is not used in commerce.
Description: Erect herb to 1 m
tall; stem quadrangular, pubescent; branches opposite, ascending, the smaller
heavily pubescent. Leaves opposite, separated by long internodes, ovate to
rhomboid, those on main stem with long slender petioles and 2–9 cm long, those
on side branches smaller and short-petioled; base cuneate to truncate or
shallowly cordate in large leaves; apex broadly acute to obtuse; margin
prominently crenate-serrate to crenate or serrate; both surfaces more or less
pubescent, lower surface sparsely glandular-pubescent; venation pinnate,
prominent below. Inflorescences verticillate, several-flowered in leaf axils.
Calyx bilabiate, 7–9 mm long, pubescent, the upper lip with 3 shallow teeth,
the lower lip with 2 elongated teeth; corolla bilabiate, funnelform, 8–15 mm
long, pale yellow in bud, becoming white, pink or lavender; stamens 4, 2
longer, 2 shorter. Fruit 4 nutlets.
Parts
in Commerce:
Leaves or leaves and flowering tops
Identification:
Leaves
- Leaves ovate to
rhomboid, up to 9 cm long, those on main stem long-petioled
- Leaves on upper
lateral branches usually 1–2.5 cm long; petioles shorter, sometimes with
narrow tapering wings formed by extension of leaf blade
- Leaf base
usually cuneate to truncate, rarely rounded to shallowly cordate (in
largest leaves only)
- Leaf margins
crenate to serrate, the lower leaves often with deep ovate teeth, the
smaller leaves usually with shallower serrate teeth
- Leaf blade
sparsely pubescent especially below with short unicellular hairs and long
multicellular hairs, the largest occasionally glabrous above; hairs white,
commonly appressed, often borne more densely along veins beneath
- Underside of
leaf with sparsely distributed, small, inconspicuous, yellowish glandular
dots
- Venation
prominent beneath, sometimes pale or reddish, pinnate, with several main
pairs of secondary veins alternate, at acute angle to midrib, slightly
curving, with few main tertiary veins; higher-order venation netted
- Odor lemony,
sometimes resembling lemon verbena or formic acid
- Taste lemony,
aromatic
Flowers
- Upper stem
fragments slender but strongly quadrangular, with long internodes,
frequently pubescent; hairs long, white, erect, sometimes visibly jointed
- Flowers borne in
whorls in leaf axils
- Pedicel and
calyx pubescent; lower part of calyx with long erect white hairs
- Calyx bilabiate,
7–9 mm long; upper lip with 3 shallow broad teeth, lower lip with 2 long
acuminate teeth
- Corolla
bilabiate, funnelform, 8–15 mm long, bilabiate, yellow, turning white
(especially when dried) or pinkish to lavender; lower lip 3-lobed, the
middle lobe largest; upper lip variable in shape
- Anthers 4, of 2
lengths, the 2 longest not much longer than the corolla but sometimes
slightly protruding from corolla mouth
Nepeta
cataria
L.:
Though a number of cultivated medicinal labiates have similar leaves, most of
these have no lemony odor or taste. An exception is Nepeta cataria
[Catnip], also cultivated for human and feline consumption, of which var. citriodora
(Becker) Balb. is lemon-scented. Intact material is distinguished by several
features:
- Leaves deltoid
to ovate or narrowly deltoid
- Leaf base
truncate to shallowly cordate
- Marginal teeth
often sharply serrate to dentate even on largest leaves
- Leaves, petioles
and stems densely pubescent with very short soft white hairs, especially
the lower surface, which also has numerous small glandular hairs; however,
no very long hairs present
- Main venation
conspicuous beneath, often branching basally to give the appearance that
several of the large secondary veins arise almost palmately from the base;
tertiary veins netted, none similarly conspicuous, only secondary veins
readily visible to the naked eye
- Inflorescences,
if present, spicate, the terminal one several cm long with numerous
flowers; calyces densely pubescent with very short hairs, all calyx teeth
long and narrow
References:
Fernandes R. Melissa. In: Tutin TG, Heywood VH, Burges NA, et al.,
eds. Flora Europaea. Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press; 1972:162–163.
Mathew B. Nepeta. In: Tutin TG, Heywood VH, Burges NA, et al., eds. Flora Europaea. Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1972:158–160.
Wichtl M, ed. Herbal Drugs and
Phytopharmaceuticals, 3rd English
ed. Stuttgart: medpharm Scientific Publishers and Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press;
2004:382–386.
Figure 46: a–b, Melissa officinalis leaf and close-up of underside; c–d, Nepeta
cataria leaf and close-up of underside.
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