Author: آمنه غلامی 
Melissa officinalis L.
Mohammad Ali Alizadeh, Masoumeh Ramezani Yeganeh, Mohammad Reza Pahlevani and Valiollah Mozaffarian
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at October 2023
Scientific editor: Masoumeh Izadpanah and Parvin Salehi Shanjani
Seed Storage: The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 8-10 % eRH and store at -18 °C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species have non-deep dormancy. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Place seeds at 4 ºC for two weeks to germinate uniformly, then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15-20 ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours of light and the lower one for eight hours of dark).
Morphology
Fruit/seed type: Achene
Fruit/Seed shape: Obovate, surface with shallow reticulated, black
Fruit/Seed size: Length 1.5-2 mm, width 0.7-0.9 mm in an accession from Sarbishe, South Khorasan with 1000 seed (Fruit) weight 0.9 g, which was collected in 2011 by Nakhaei, and the cultivated sample was identified by Valiollah Mozafarian with accession number 37472.
Average 1000 Fruit/seed weight: 0.5-2.1 g
Biological features
Life Form: Herbaceous, perennial, height 30-135 cm, stem erect, branched from the base, covered with long hairs
Inflorescence, flower type, and pollination mechanism: Inflorescences separated verticillasters, flowers bisexual, color pink-white. Plant monoecious, cross-pollinated. Pollination is carried out by both wind (anemophily) and insects (entomophily).
Time of flowering: Spring
Time of seed ripening: End of spring to early summer
Seed dispersal methods: Natural agents (wind, insects, birds, and animals)
Geographical distribution: Europe, Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iraq and Pakistan. Typus from Europe
Distribution in Iran: North, in provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran and Gilan
Taxonomy
Family: Laminacea
Genus: Melissa
Species: M. officinalis
Persian name: Badranjboieh
References
Black, M. and Bewley, J.D. 2000. Seed technology and its biological basis. Sheffield Academic Press, 1-419 P.
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 P.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Publication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Jamzad, Z. 2012. Flora of Iran, vol. 76: Lamiaceae. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands press, Tehran, 1066 P.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 2012. A pictorial dictionary of botany. Farhange Moaser publisher, Tehran, 1088 P.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian plants names. Farhange Moaser Publisher, Tehran, 671 P.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 P.
