Lemon balm
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Lemon Balm | |
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Lemon Balm | |
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Species: | M. officinalis
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Binomial name | |
Melissa officinalis |
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It grows to 70–150 cm tall. The leaves have a gentle lemon scent, related to mint. At the end of the summer, little white flowers full of nectar appear and attract bees. Its flavour comes from the terpenes citronellal, citronellol, citral, and geraniol.
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