Melissa L.
Melissa is a genus of three or four Old World species, ranging from Macaronesia and the Mediterranean area to Central Asia. Its traditional circumscription was confirmed by molecular data (Kaufmann & Wink 1994. One species, Melissa officinalis, is a popular garden plant. It is mainly cultivated for culinary purposes, especially for its lemon-scented leaves.
Literature:
Kaufmann M. & Wink M. (1994) Molecular systematics of the nepetoideae (family Labiatae): phylogenetic implications from rbcL gene sequences. Z. Naturforsch. C. 49(9-10): 635-645.
Shu Y.M.C. (1994) Melissa. In: Wu Z.Y. & Raven P.H. (eds.), Flora of China, vol. 17. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis: 227-228. [available online at: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF17/melissa.pdf]