Plant size: Mature lemon balm plants grow 12-30" high with a spread of about 7" to 12". Rigid square stems support narrow, spear-shaped and serrated dark green leaves as long as 2.5 inches.Ĭrushed lemon mint leaves and flowers give off a pleasant, lemony fragrance. It's a hardy self-seeding annual that sometimes performs as a biennial, and its white, pink or purple flowers are among the showiest of the Lamiaceae. Like most mints in the Monarda branch of the Lamiaceae family, it thrives in poor, dry, rocky soils and requires little coddling. Lemon mint is, interestingly, a popular addition to shredded tobacco among hookah enthusiasts. Its leaves and flowers add a citrus scent to potpourris and make wonderful fresh-cut flowers. North American natives also used Monarda citriodora to season meat and fowl, and today it's widely used in a number of recipes and fragrances. I would combine it with chamomile and lavender in a facial steam to assist with acne or oily skin. It is also beneficial when added to facial steams. The dried herb can be infused in oil (cold oil infusion) and later made into salves and lotions to soothe skin. Is it possible that a solution of lemon mint, when sprayed on leaf mildew or damaged plants, might solve gardeners' frustrations? It's definitely worth a shot. Another study focuses on phenolic monoterpenes' role in the fight against fungus in other plants. It was also reported to reduce fevers and headaches.Īt least one contemporary study shows that phenolic monoterpenes found in lemon mint serve as antioxidants and antimicrobials. Lemon mint tea treated throat and oral infections, and poultices disinfected skin lesions and minor wounds. Native North Americans (we're including Mexican aboriginals, of course) used lemon mint as a natural insect repellent citronellol is one of the plant's compounds valued by aromatherapists.Īll plants nicknamed "bee balm" are useful in treating insect stings (oops, somebody forgot their insect repellent). Lemon mint's native range includes northern Mexico and southern/central United States. Even though lemon mint is a New World plant, its genus is named for Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), a Spaniard who rocked the Seville botany and medical scene, but who never set foot on North American soil. Remember to double-check your mint seed order and herbal remedy and ask for lemon balm by its Latin name, and you should be fine. Take a deep breath and pour another frosty glass. How's that drink? Relaxing? Just when you think you have things figured out, get a load of this: Monarda citriodora is only one plant of many that go by the name "bee balm". Citrada is often called (you guessed it) lemon mint. Now, back to the chaos.Īaand.then there's lime mint (Mentha citrata), a cultivar of Mentha aquatica. We interrupt this blog post to bring you a great booze-related tip: Use lemon mint instead of regular mint in your mojito recipe to kick things up a notch. Purple lemon mint (ok, we totally get this one).Horsemint (we have no idea where the "horse" part came from).To avoid further confusion, or maybe just become immune to bewilderment, you'll want to be aware of lemon mint's other names: This far into the blog, we've already screwed up three times Monarda citriodora is also called "bee balm," which causes many gardeners and herbalists to mix lemon mint with lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis). Lemon mint wins the Confusing Name Game, roots down. (Growing lemon mint, that is you'll want a doctor to deal with that other business.) Lemon Mint By Any Other Name.Is a Pain in the Butt Like its cousins, lemon mint is so easy to grow, even a gardener with a gangrenous black thumb, hanging by just a thin strand of tissue, could pull it off. Lemon mint adds flavor to iced and hot teas, and may even reduce the amount of sugar-or that nasty fake stuff-required to make it sunshine sweet. Lemon mint (Monarda citriodora), not to be completely obvious, has a mild citrus-ey taste favored by bakers, chefs, and mixologists. We're actually here to befuddle you, as you'll find out in just a few paragraphs. We've written a lot about plants in the mint family lately, but that's because each variety has its own unique fragrance and flavor.
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