Lemon Balm
Halq’emeylem Name
Currently unknown
Latin Name
Melissa officinalis L.
Pronunciation
About Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family. Lemon Balm “likely originated in Southern Europe and was brought to Spain by the Moors in the 7th century; by the Middle Ages it was cultivated and used throughout Europe” (Herb Society of America).
The plant is attractive to bees and the genus name Melissa is greek for ‘honey-bee.’ RR
Connections
Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s literature included both big gardens and backyard gardens. He talked about flowers, shrubs, medicinal herbs and even symbolic plants in his plays. One of these was lemon balm. In his play, Antony and Cleopatra, the defeated Cleopatra calls the venomous asp’s bite “As sweet as Balm, as soft as air, as gentle” (5.2). RR
Indigenous Knowledge
We are currently unaware of Indigenous knowledge related to lemon balm.
Gallery
References
Image: Amitchell125 | Udo Schröter | Smoobs | Quinn Dombrowski
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. (n.d.). Melissa officinalis L.. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32565#null
https://www.herbsociety.org/file_download/inline/d7d790e9-c19e-4a40-93b0-8f4b45a644f1