Melissa officinalis L. subsp. officinalis

Taxonomy: Fam. Lamiaceae// Genus: Melissa// Species: Melissa officinalis L.// Subspecies: Melissa officinalis L. subsp. officinalis.

Determined according to the botanical keys by Fernandes in Tutin et al. (1972) and Matevski in Matevski (2021).

Lifeform: Perennial, hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiaer system.

Distribution: Native to the Mediterranean to Central Asia according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Habitat: Open woods, edges and clearings of oak forests, moist places, up to c. 1200 m altitude. Native to the Osogovo region and also commonly cultivated as a garden plant.

Flowering period: Summer – fall: JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – habit. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – flowering stem. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – flowering stems with vericillaters and leaves. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – flower. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – side view of flower. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – verticillaster and bracts. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – stem and vericillater with flowers and bracts. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* –stem and verticillaster with flowers and bracts. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – leaves. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – stem with leaves. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – leaf. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – adaxial side of leaf. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

*Melissa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* – abaxial side of leaf. Osogovo – village of Pantelej region, 22.06.2024. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Melissa L. Fernandes, R. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (1972). Flora Europaea. Volume 3: Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 162 – 163.

Melissa L. Matevski, V. in Matevski, V. The Flora of the RN Macedonia. Vol II, Book 2. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje, pp. 316 – 317.

Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77169332-1 [Accessed 04.07.2024].

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