Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Herbs
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Southern Europe
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Melissa officinalis
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
5170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dappled Shade, Mediterranean region, Shady Edge, Woodland Garden
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9-9999
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
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
45.70 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Pink
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Brown
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Deer resistant, Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Low
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Gray leaf blight, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Deer resistant, Drought
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
Avoid during Pregnancy, Skin irritation
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Cottage Garden
-
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin, Skin Problems
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
Insignificant
Sometimes
Environmental Uses
Deer resistant, Insect Repellent
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiemetic, Anxiety, Appetite enhancer, Digestion problems, Insomnia, Sedative
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Medicinal oil, Used as insect repellent, Used for its medicinal properties, Used in herbal medicines
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELISSA officinalis
JATROPHA
Common Name
Lemonbalm, balm, common balm, balm mint
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
नींबू बाम
रतनजोत
In German
Lemonbalm
Purgiernuß
In French
mélisse
purghère
In Spanish
Lemonbalm
frailejón
In Greek
Lemonbalm
jatropha
In Portuguese
Lemonbalm
galamaluco
In Polish
Lemonbalm
jatrofa
In Latin
CITRAGO
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Euphorbiales
Family
Lamiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Melissa
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
-
Jatropheae
Subfamily
Nepetoideae
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
4170
1
27800
👆🏻