Balm

Balm - Melissa officinalis

Alternative names
Lemon Balm
Description

A lemon scented hairy plant, usually about 60 cm but sometimes taller. Flowers whitish or pale yellow, often becoming pinkish, 8 -15 mm long in leafy whorled interrupted spikes. The upper lip is erect, the lower three-lobed.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Shaded habitats and cultivated land. Many records may be from casuals and naturalised garden escapes.

When to see it

July to September.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Occasional in southern Wales and England as far north as the Midlands.

VC55 Status

Not common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 3 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records

Photo of the association

Phytomyza petoei

The larva of the Agromyzid fly Phytomyza petoei mines the leaves of various plants including members of the Mint, Balm and Basil families. The mine usually starts with a dark spot, then becomes an irregular linear mine, often then forming a secondary blotch.