Herb garden and kitchen · Melissa officinalis
Lemon balm: look, smell and learn
Lemon scent without a lemon tree! Flauschi giggles at Puschel searching between the leaves.
The short answer
Lemon balm has broad toothed leaves with wrinkled surfaces, paired on the stem. Its scent recalls lemon, although it grows no lemons. Use requires correctly identified kitchen herbs.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel sniffs. Puschel“Where are the lemons hiding?” Flauschi giggles and holds up a real lemon. Flauschi“Not here! The leaves make that smell.”
Puschel“So, scent without lemon fruit,” says Puschel, laughing at his hiding game. Now he looks at the toothed leaf edge. Flauschi reminds him that scent alone cannot reliably identify a plant. The real lemon and the lemon balm can stay different.
What it looks like
Broad, wrinkled green leaves with toothed edges, growing in pairs.
Scent and cooking
A lemony scent although no lemons grow on it; goes with fruit or water.
How it grows
Sun or partial shade and evenly moist soil; grows vigorously.
Little Wusel quiz
Puschel smells lemon. Why does he still find no lemons on the lemon balm?
Show answer
The scent comes from the leaves. Lemon balm is not a lemon tree.
Word help
- molecule
- A small group of connected atoms, tiny building blocks of matter.
- toothed
- The edge has little points like tiny teeth. A leaf has no real teeth.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
How can a leaf smell of lemon?
Lemon balm produces aromatic substances in its leaves. Some remind our noses of lemons, without lemons growing on the plant. Air carries scent molecules to the nose, triggering signals processed by the brain. Similar smells do not necessarily mean closely related plants.
Compare and understand
Lemon balm belongs to the mint family; lemons grow on citrus trees. Compare pictures of the whole plants rather than just their names. Looking at a safe kitchen plant is enough. Smelling and tasting are optional and must not be used to test unknown wild plants.