Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Herbs
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Southern Europe
-
Types
Melissa officinalis
-
Number of Varieties
510
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dappled Shade, Mediterranean region, Shady Edge, Woodland Garden
Subtropical climates, Sunny Edge
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
21,22
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
45.70 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Pink
White, Orange, Pink, Hot Pink, Coral, Crimson, Lavender, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Light Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Deer resistant, Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
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 flowers, Remove dead leaves
Cut back the foliage when the plants die back naturally, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Gray leaf blight, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Deer resistant, Drought
Full Sun
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees
Bees, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
Avoid during Pregnancy, Skin irritation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Cottage Garden
Beautification, Cottage Garden, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin, Skin Problems
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Deer resistant, Insect Repellent
Air purification, Deer resistant, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiemetic, Anxiety, Appetite enhancer, Digestion problems, Insomnia, Sedative
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Bulbs
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Medicinal oil, Used as insect repellent, Used for its medicinal properties, Used in herbal medicines
bulb used as starch
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELISSA officinalis
LYCORIS
Common Name
Lemonbalm, balm, common balm, balm mint
Naked Ladies, Spiderlily, Surprise Lily
In Hindi
नींबू बाम
surprise lily
In German
Lemonbalm
Überraschung Lilie
In French
mélisse
Lycoris squamigera
In Spanish
Lemonbalm
Lycoris squamigera
In Greek
Lemonbalm
surprise lily
In Portuguese
Lemonbalm
surpresa lírio
In Polish
Lemonbalm
niespodzianka lilia
In Latin
CITRAGO
surprise lily
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Asparagales
Family
Lamiaceae
Amaryllidaceae
Genus
Melissa
Lycoris
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocotyledonous
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Nepetoideae
Amaryllidoideae
Number of Species
410
1
27800
👆🏻