WorldFloraDB - Melissa axillaris

Characteristics

Stems ± erect, branched, 60-100 cm, pubescent. Petiole 0.2-2.5 cm; leaf blade ovate, 1.2-6 × 0.9-3 cm, herbaceous, purplish along midrib, sparsely pubescent to subglabrous, base subcordate to cuneate, margin serrate-crenate, apex acute or short acuminate to rounded. Verticillasters widely spaced; bracteoles sublinear, ciliate. Pedicel ca. 2 mm. Calyx 6-8 mm, horizontally projected, villous outside, glabrous inside, teeth of upper lip acute; lower lip almost as long as upper lip, teeth lanceolate. Corolla white or reddish, ca. 1 cm, pubescent, tube slightly exserted, upper lip emarginate, lower lip spreading. Anterior stamens included. Nutlets adaxially ribbed. Fl. and fr. Jun-Nov.

More

Erect herb, up to 1 m, ± woody at the base. Branches pubescent when young. Leaves thin or thick membranaceous, very variable in size and shape; small ones ovate or elliptic, 1.2-3 by 0.8-1.5 cm, acute, base rounded or cuneate; larger ones lanceolate-ovate, often unequilateral, 5-7 by 2-3 cm, acuminate, at base acute; petiole 0.5-3 cm. Flowers usually 4-8 in axillary verticillasters. Pedicels 1-2 mm, sericeous. Calyx 5-6 mm long, in fruit 6-8 mm, pilose on the ribs outside; tube not inflated below. Corolla white, 9-10 mm long. Stamens: anterior pair barely exserted. Nutlets 8 by 2 mm, finely puberulent, with a very conspicuous scar on the ventral base.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

1.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

-

Blooming months

-

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

-

Environment

Forest edges and along trails, open places along streams, but not on swampy soil, 1500-2600 m. Fl. Febr.-May.

Light	-
Soil humidity	-
Soil texture	-
Soil acidity	-
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Uses. On Mt Diëng (Central Java) leaves are externally used against head-ache.

Uses	medicinal
Edible	-
Therapeutic use	Brain diseases (fruit), Hypochondriasis (fruit), Antipyretics (leaf), Antitubercular agents (leaf), Appetite stimulants (leaf), Bites and stings (leaf), Brain diseases (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Dyspnea (leaf), Heart diseases (leaf), Insect bites and stings (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Toothache (leaf), Vision disorders (leaf), Antipyretics (stem), Antitubercular agents (stem), Appetite stimulants (stem), Brain diseases (stem), Heart diseases (stem), Liver diseases (stem), Vision disorders (stem), Brain (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Gum (unspecified), Hypochondria (unspecified), Mouthwash (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Tuberculosis (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Antipyretics (unspecified), Common cold (unspecified), Flatulence (unspecified), Influenza, human (unspecified), Mouth diseases (unspecified), Periodontal diseases (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (whole plant), Antifungal agents (whole plant)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Mode	-
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-

Distribution

Identifiers

LSID	urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450032-1
WFO ID	wfo-0000240003
COL ID	3ZJF5
BDTFX ID	-
INPN ID	-
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Melissa hirsuta Melissa longifolia Calamintha cavaleriei Geniosporum axillare Melissa parviflora var. purpurea Melissa parviflora Melissa axillaris

WorldFloraDB 2024

Melissa axillaris Bakh.F.

Species