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What is the difference between lemon balm and mint? A quick guide to telling them apart

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Leaf differences: lemon balm leaves are ovate, with a blunt or acute tip and a rounded to nearly heart-shaped base, and they have relatively long soft hairs. Mint leaves are oblong-lanceolate, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, and compared with lemon balm, their soft hairs are shorter. Flower differences: lemon balm has a creamy-white corolla, while mint has a pale purple one.

1. Leaf differences

Lemon balm leaves are ovate; those growing on the stem are generally 5 cm long and about 3-4 cm wide, while those on the branches are relatively smaller, 1-3 cm long and about 0.8-2 cm wide, with a blunt or acute tip, a rounded to nearly heart-shaped base, and serrated edges; they are nearly membranous or herbaceous, with relatively long soft hairs.

Mint leaves are oblong-lanceolate, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, rarely oblong, with an acuminate tip, a wedge-shaped to nearly rounded base, and edges with coarse tooth-like serrations; compared with lemon balm, the soft hairs are shorter and less obvious.

2. Flower differences

Lemon balm has verticillasters, with leaf-like bracts that are much smaller than the leaves, a bell-shaped calyx, and a creamy-white corolla

Mint has axillary verticillasters with a spherical outline, slender pedicels, a tubular bell-shaped calyx, and a pale purple corolla with soft hairs on the outside.

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