Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Herbs
Origin
Mediterranean, Turkey, Africa, Southern Asia, Western Asia
Southern Europe
Types
3
Melissa officinalis
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Subtropical climates, Temperate Regions, Tropical regions
Dappled Shade, Mediterranean region, Shady Edge, Woodland Garden
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99994-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
-
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm30.50 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm45.70 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Lavender
White, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Green, Bronze, Tan, Brown
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Sea Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Sea Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Sea Green, Gray Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Small oblong
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall, Early Winter, Winter, Late Winter
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Frost
Deer resistant, Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Medium, Requires a lot of watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost
Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Gray leaf blight, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Deer resistant, Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Insects
Bees
Allergy
Constipation, Legume allergy
Avoid during Pregnancy, Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin, Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for animals
Deer resistant, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
constipation, High cholestrol, Kidney problems, Nutrients
Antiemetic, Anxiety, Appetite enhancer, Digestion problems, Insomnia, Sedative
Part of Plant Used
Seeds
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Economic Purpose, Employed in herbal medicine, Used As Food
Can be made into a herbal tea, Medicinal oil, Used as insect repellent, Used for its medicinal properties, Used in herbal medicines
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
CICER arietinum
MELISSA officinalis
Common Name
Bengal Gram, Chickpea , Garbanzo Bean, Indian Pea
Lemonbalm, balm, common balm, balm mint
In Hindi
चना
नींबू बाम
In German
Kichererbse
Lemonbalm
In French
Pois chiche
mélisse
In Spanish
Garbanzo
Lemonbalm
In Greek
Ρεβίθι
Lemonbalm
In Portuguese
grão de bico
Lemonbalm
In Polish
Groch włoski
Lemonbalm
In Latin
CICER
CITRAGO
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Spermatophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Fabales
Lamiales
Family
Fabaceae
Lamiaceae
Genus
Cicer
Melissa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Viceae Alef
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Nepetoideae
Number of Species
904
1
27800
👆🏻