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Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.)

Also known as common balm.

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Summary
Range
Description
Similar Plants
Habitat
Life Cycle
Uses
Relatives
Links
Photos

↑Summary

A common garden plant with a lemony scent, frequently reproducing by seed and established in the wild at many locations across North America.

↑Range - Expand

Legend	Color
Introduced
Introduced or Not Present

This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.

Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.

↑Description & Identification

Visually similar to a number of other species in the mint family, this plant is most easily distinguished by its lemony aroma; although other plants also have a lemony aroma, the most visually-similar plants have very different smells.

↑Similar Plants

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
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↑Habitat

Most common in or near suburban or urban areas. Found in overgrown gardens, under hedges, fencerows, and thickets, sometimes along roadsides and waste areas. In the more arid parts of its range, limited to moister sites, such as in floodplains. In the northeast, found in meadows and fields.

Prefers to grow in moist to average conditions, in fertile loamy soil.

↑Life Cycle

Lemon balm is a clumping perennial. It is short-rhizomatous, forming clumps that get slightly larger and grow more stems each year, but not usually spreading long distances.

Plants growing from seed usually do not flower in their first year.

Plants bloom from summer into early fall, and seeds are produced in fall. Seeds usually germinate in the subsequent growing season, after a cold dormancy. We were not able to find information on whether or not lemon balm forms a persistent seed bank, but seeds of plants in this family are less likely to persist long-term.

↑Uses

Widely cultivated as a garden plant, where it is valued for its lemony scent. Often used as an herbal tea. Used medicinally for anxiety and stress reduction, to promote cognitive function, and to treat mild indigestion.

This is the only species of its genus found in North America; there are three other species native to East Asia. The broader Nepetoideae tribe contains numerous plants. Within this, the most closely related genus, Neoeplingia, is not found here, but the two next-most-closely related genera are, including rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), which is introduced, and numerous Salvia sp., both native and introduced.