Is this a lemon balm?
I found a kind of herb in my garden and that smells like a lime or lemon.
Do you think it's a lemon balm?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Shirley on -
Agree (but lemon balm isn't a mint - Melissa officinalis
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Permalink Reply by Malagrowther on -
They are in the same family (Lamiaceae) as the mints but lemony not minty when crushed. It is also known as bee balm because it is irresistible to bees. When a new hive is set up it is traditionally baited with crushed lemon balm to encourage the bees to set up home.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Shirley on
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Whilst it is in the Mint famil (Lamiaceae) it is not generally classed as a Mint - just as Chinese Artichokes (Stachys affinis) are also not generally classed as a mint.
It is, however, definitely not Bee Balm - which is something Lemon Balm is often confused with.
Bee Balm is a species of Monarda (in this case I think you may be getting confused with Monarda citriodora - Lemon Bee Balm).
But never the less, bees do like Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Malagrowther said:They are in the same family (Lamiaceae) as the mints but lemony not minty when crushed. It is also known as bee balm because it is irresistible to bees. When a new hive is set up it is traditionally baited with crushed lemon balm to encourage the bees to set up home.
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Permalink Reply by Malagrowther on
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Melissa = Bee (in Greek)
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Permalink Reply by Takashi Sato on -
Thank you for your quick responses and knowledges.
I'm very happy to be able to identify what the herb is with your help.
I try to add the crushed leaves to cold tea or green tea. I believe the fragrance goes well with cold beverages.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Shirley on
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Actually 'Honey Bee' - but Bee Balm remains Monarda; which specie depends on if you want plain Beebalm, lemon, scarlet or whatever.
The word Orchid is derived from a bastardisation (via Latin) of the the Greek word "Orchis" - which is Greek for Testicle - but I don't know anyone who calls Orchids by such a name?
Malagrowther said:Melissa = Bee (in Greek)
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Permalink Reply by Malagrowther on
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Actually 'Honey Bee'Just a tad pedantic.
The strong link between lemon balm and bees is there in it's taxonomy and was noted by the Greeks. I'm sure bees like bergamots too, although these were imports from the New World. Curiously there were no native American bees until they were imported from Europe. So the bee association is quite recent in this case and certainly post dates Dr Monardes the Spanish medical botanist who wrote his herbal on the flora of America in 1569 and lent his name to Bergamot!
Let's agree to leave Orchids out of this!
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Permalink Reply by Jade Hwang on -
I have lots of lemon balms in my gardens. They spread like weed, but they are much more useful thankfully. Lemon balms can be used in salads, cakes, drinks and even ice cream.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Shirley on
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As tad pedantic as Melissa = Bee is a tad tenuous :-)
There's more to Monarda than just Bergamot - most of them beeing various forms of Beebalm.
Malagrowther said:
Actually 'Honey Bee'Just a tad pedantic.
The strong link between lemon balm and bees is there in it's taxonomy and was noted by the Greeks. I'm sure bees like bergamots too, although these were imports from the New World. Curiously there were no native American bees until they were imported from Europe. So the bee association is quite recent in this case and certainly post dates Dr Monardes the Spanish medical botanist who wrote his herbal on the flora of America in 1569 and lent his name to Bergamot!
Let's agree to leave Orchids out of this!
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Permalink Reply by Malagrowther on
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Stephen,
Tenuous? I thought you had established that Melissa = Honey bee in Greek?Hey Jade, those cakes look scrumptious!
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