Family |
Lamiaceae
Melissa officinalis subsp. inodora
Bornm.
Leb. Syr. Tur.
Melissa officinalis subsp. inodora Bornm.
First published in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 31(2): 250 (1914).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, p. 172, Pl. LXXXVII, 2; 1983)
Description
Life-form & habit: Perennial herb, 50–100 cm tall, usually pale green, often with several much-branched stems. Hairs are non-glandular and often scattered; the plant is scentless or almost so.
Leaves: Ovate, with toothed margins.
Inflorescence & flowers: Axillary clusters of 7–8 flowers. The calyx is 10–12 mm long and the projecting corolla about 20 mm. Flowers open white and soon turn yellow as flowering ends.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering May–September.
Habitat & elevation: Sandstone and sandy places.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Saida, Beirut, Nahr Beirut, Nahr el Kalb, Jbail, Ras Chekka–Hamate, Tripoli, Broummana, Ain Zehalta, Beit Chebab, Bikfaya, Jamhour, Ghosta, Hasroun and Kornet Chehwan.
Native range: Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Türkey.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde treats this plant as Melissa inodora Bornm.; Kew accepts it as Melissa officinalis subsp. inodora. Its Kew range extends beyond Lebanon.