Taxon:
Melissa officinalis L.
Summary
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 2:592. 1753
Verified:
05/11/1992
ARS Systematic Botanists.
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Reference(s)
- Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) www.skud.info
- Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
- Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource). URL: http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropListDetails?code=&relation=beginsWith&name=Melissa+officinalis&quantity=1
- Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
- Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 URL: http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:2422827336895397#
- Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
- Izquierdo Z., I. et al., eds. 2004. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres URL: http://www.gobcan.es/cmayot/interreg/atlantico/documentos/LESDCanarias.pdf
- Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
- Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
- Lawrence, B. M. 1992. Chemical components of Labiatae oils and their exploitation. Advances in labiate science 400.
- Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
- Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
- Magness, J. R. et al. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. IR Bull. 1
- Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
- McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
- Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:110.
- Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
- Personal Care Products Council. INCI URL: http://www.personalcarecouncil.org/public/what-inci
- Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource). URL: http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Frontpage.html
- Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
- Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. Colegio Salesiano, Lima, Peru.
- Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
- Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition). URL: http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2
- Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
Common names
English
balm – beebalm – lemonbalm – melissa – French
mélisse officinale – German
Zitronenmelisse – Portuguese
erva-cidreira – Spanish
citraria – toronjil – Swedish
citronmeliss – Transcribed Chinese
xiang feng hua – Transliterated Russian
melissa lekarstvennaja –
Distribution
order_code | Status | Continent | Subcontinent | Country | State | Note |
1 | Native | Africa | Macaronesia | Portugal | Madeira Islands | |
1 | Native | Africa | Macaronesia | Spain | Canary Islands | |
1 | Native | Africa | Northern Africa | Morocco | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Northern Africa | Tunisia | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Caucasus | Armenia | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Caucasus | Azerbaijan | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Caucasus | Georgia | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Caucasus | Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia | Ciscaucasia | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Middle Asia | Kyrgyzstan | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Middle Asia | Tajikistan | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Middle Asia | Turkmenistan | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Cyprus | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Iran | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Iraq | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Israel | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Lebanon | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Syria | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Turkey | | |
1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indian Subcontinent | Pakistan | | n. |
1 | Native | Europe | Eastern Europe | Belarus | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Eastern Europe | Russian Federation-European part | European part | s. |
1 | Native | Europe | Eastern Europe | Ukraine | | incl. Krym |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Albania | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Bulgaria | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Former Yugoslavia | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Greece | | incl. Crete |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Italy | | incl. Sardinia, Sicily |
1 | Native | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Romania | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southwestern Europe | France | Corse | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southwestern Europe | Portugal | | |
1 | Native | Europe | Southwestern Europe | Spain | | incl. Baleares |
2 | Cultivated | | | | | widely cult. in temperate regions |
Native
Africa
-
MACARONESIA:
Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
-
NORTHERN AFRICA:
Morocco, Tunisia
Asia-Temperate
-
WESTERN ASIA:
Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
-
CAUCASUS:
Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia], Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
-
MIDDLE ASIA:
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Asia-Tropical
-
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT:
Pakistan (n.)
Europe
-
EASTERN EUROPE:
Russian Federation-European part [European part (s.)], Belarus, Ukraine (incl. Krym)
-
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE:
Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania
-
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE:
Spain (incl. Baleares), France [Corse], Portugal
Cultivated
(widely cult. in temperate regions)
Economic Uses
Usage | Type | Note | Reference |
Bee plants | honey production | | Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. |
Environmental | ornamental | | Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening |
Food additives | flavoring | | Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption |
Food additives | flavoring | | Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. |
Materials | essential oils | | Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition). URL: http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2 |
Materials | essential oils | used in perfumery | Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. |
Medicines | folklore | | Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs |
Medicines | folklore | | McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. |