I.C. Hedge

Perennial aromatic herbs. Stems erect, quadrangular, glabrous or with eglandular or glandular hairs, leafy. Leaves ovate, cordate, long-petiolate, crenate. Flowers in verticillasters borne in axils of upper leaves. Bracts present. Calyx tubular-campanulate, 13-nerved, clearly bilabiate; upper lip ± flat, shortly 3-toothed, somewhat recurved in fruit; lower lip 2-toothed; tube with or without villous hairs internally but not bearded. Corolla bilabiate; tube exserted from calyx, without an internal annulus; upper lip ± straight, emarginate; lower lip 3-lobed, spreading. Stamens 4, didynamous, included or very shortly exserted; thecae bilocular, glabrous, divergent. Stylar branches subequal. Nutlets ovoid, basally attenuate, smooth, often mucilaginous on wetting.

3 species in Europe and Asia. One species is occasionally cultivated in our area.

Lower Taxon

• Melissa officinalis L.